To Protect What's Precious
by Rubika-Chan
Summary: During Jaden's second year, the Light of Ruin has discovered a powerful energy source that must be protected. A spin off of Season 2, bringing in the four transfers as well! But not everything is as it seems. Light Shonen-ai!  UPDATED AT LAST!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own anything here

Note: This idea has floated around in my head for a while so I decided to put it on paper at last! This is my first GX fanfic, so be nice lol!

**To Protect What's Precious**

**Prologue**

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Three figures stood in the center of a room, candles lining a pentagram painted on the floor. The man with long silver hair spoke again.

"Messing with magic this powerful never has good results." He said as he absentmindedly fingered the eye patch over his left eye, hidden behind his hair.

"It is necessary." Spoke an Egyptian woman. "An evil force is targeting the Key. We must keep it safe." From within the folds of her robe the woman withdrew a small crystal bottle.

The bottle barely fit in her hand and was decorated with several multi-colored gemstones. The woman removed the ruby top to the bottle and gently coaxed what was inside out, onto her hand.

It appeared, at first, to be liquid moonlight, surrounded by cloudlike glass, and shone as though a small star was in the center. A gentle swirl of green energy, somewhere between liquid and gas, settled in the bronzed hand. Gently, she set the Key in the center of the pentagram.

"I still don't like leaving the Key vulnerable like this…" The silver-haired man spoke again, glancing at the delicate force before them, "it should be protected."

"And so it shall." The last figure spoke at last. The glow revealed a somewhat large, balding man with a grey beard and eyes. He looked up at the others. "It shall be sent to one of the few people I trust with something so precious. Jaden Yuki."

The woman looked skeptical, but time was running short. The Key must be hidden before the evil showed up to take it.

There was a flash of light and all the candles in the room were extinguished as the spell began. The Key swirled faster and rose higher as the three figures continued chanting. Its green light shone brighter as it began to stretch and twist into a new shape.

Then, just as the shine became too brilliant to watch, it was gone, and the room was coated in darkness.

Hundreds of miles away, a pair of clear green eyes opened for the first time.

**To Be Continued…**

Yeah, it's short. But it's just the prologue. And I'm not too good at mystery/suspense but I'll learn!

Any criticism and/or critique is welcome!


	2. Chapter 1: Arrival

Note: Wow, I didn't expect so many reviews on the prologue! :D that made my day! Here's Chapter one!

Disclaimer: Still don't own

**To Protect What's Precious**

**Chapter one**

Jaden Yuki, a Slifer Red student at Duel Academy, yawned. He was currently lying on the roof of the main building, relaxing after his first duel of his second year. Which so far, had been a bit disappointing. For one, he missed the old Alchemy teacher, Professor Banner. The quirky teacher had died last year and all that was left was his fat orange cat, Pharaoh. Second, Chancellor Sheppard was off somewhere, leaving the creepy Dr. Crowler in charge. This could not bode well for the student's sanity. And thirdly, his previous duel had apparently been against the famous Aster Phoenix, and even though he won, Ms. Dorothy had informed him that Aster had slapped a deck together that morning from random packs! Jaden couldn't help but feel he'd been cheated out of a good duel.

The brunette groaned and sat up as his spirit partner, Winged Kuriboh, appeared.

"Kuri!" Jaden smiled at the winged fur ball floating by his head.

"Hey, pal. So far this year sucks. I wonder where Sheppard is…" Jaden mused. Not that he particularly liked the chancellor or disliked him, but he was better than Crowler. Anything was better than Crowler. Well maybe not the new vice-chancellor, Bonaparte. He seemed to be about as nasty as he was ugly, which was saying something.

Jaden was shaken from his musings when he noticed Winged Kuriboh looking at something around the corner.

"What's up?"

His question was answered when a small duel monster's spirit scampered around the corner. It was like nothing Jaden had ever seen! The creature was blue-purple in color with large cat-like ears, large red eyes, and it's long tail had a large ruby at the end. Jaden couldn't tell whether it was supposed to be a cat or a squirrel. It also had a small ruby in the center of its forehead.

"Rubi bii!" The spirit chittered, looking curiously at Winged Kuriboh, who in turn came up and poked it with its wing.

"What's this? A squirrel?" The creature shook its head at Jaden's question. Then, an unfamiliar voice spoke behind it.

"Hey! Ruby!" The creature, dubbed "Ruby", turned back and ran joyfully to a pair of white and brown boots, to which a boy about Jaden's age was attached. Jaden took a good look up this newcomer's body, eyes following the little spirit climbing up to the boy's shoulder.

He looked to be about Jaden's height and build, but with longer legs. The boy had wild turquoise hair and brilliant aquamarine-green eyes. The bluenette was wearing a frilled lavender blouse, black jeans (which were shaped quite nicely around his backside Jaden noticed), and a vest that looked similar to Duel Academy's Obelisk Blue jacket.

'_He must be a new student_.' Jaden thought. He stood up as the boy looked at him and came over.

"Hey, there!" He said, with an accented, and rather feminine, voice. "Sorry about Ruby. I'm judging by your Winged Kuriboh that you're the famous Jaden Yuki!"

"Yup! That's me!" Jaden swelled slightly at the compliment. Then stopped, realizing the other half of the statement. "Hang on. You can see it? You can see spirits?"

"Yup! Sure can! I've been able to see them for as long as I can remember!" The bluenette beamed. Jaden smiled. Aside from Chazz, the only other people he knew who could see spirits were Bolowski, whom he hadn't seen since that one duel, and Chumley. Chumley, his and Syrus Truesdale's former roommate, had gone to work for Maximillion Pegasus, the president of Industrial Illusions last year. Jaden was looking forward to having another student who could see spirits. Chazz could get a bit touchy on that subject. Or any subject, really.

Wasn't there somewhere he was supposed to be? Though as the new student's hand closed around his in a handshake he forgot that thought completely. As they clasped hands, Jaden couldn't help but feel a twinge of familiarity about this newcomer. Chocolate brown eyes met ocean green as the two stared at each other, handshake forgotten, and they just stood there holding each other's hand.

"You know… I feel like I've met you somewhere before…" Jaden said, softly.

"That's funny… I feel the same way…"

The two spirits, bored with their respective masters, began to make their own acquaintance; which did not go as smoothly. Winged Kuriboh poked at Ruby again, and in turn, Ruby bit onto Kuriboh's wing curiously. Thus, in retaliation, Kuriboh pulled away and slapped Ruby's face. Once that line was crossed, the two spirits lunged at each other, and began to tussle in the ground at the duelists' feet, said duelists watching them in surprise, but neither letting go of the other's hand. Then, another voice called from the stairs leading back into the school.

"There you are, Jaden!" Jaden's roommate, and best friend, Syrus Truesdale stood at the top of the stairs, glaring at the brunette Slifer. "You're late!"

Jaden blinked.

"Late for what?" Syrus sighed. Jaden was so forgetful.

"For the ceremony! Crowler gathered everyone in the auditorium to meet some new students!"

Jaden blinked again. "What's so important about some new students? We didn't get a ceremony."

"Well it could just be for Aster," Syrus shrugged. "But I also heard we're getting new students from other academy's too!" Jaden jumped up excitedly.

"What are we waiting for! Let's go!" He looked back at the bluenette. "I'll see you there new kid!" And with that, he and Syrus ran to the auditorium.

The auditorium was abuzz with students, all whispering to each other, wondering what this meeting was all about. Then, before long, Dr. Crowler stood up to the podium and took the microphone.

"All right, settle down, settle down." When that didn't work the blonde teacher screeched into the microphone. "ALL OF YOU SHUT UP!"

"….."

"That's better." Crowler continued. "Now we're all here to celebrate five new students this year!" This caught the crowd's attention and they all followed Dr. Crowler's gesture towards the door to the stage. "This year we're getting transfers from our other branches all over the world!"

"First of all, from East Academy is Adrian Gecko!" The crowd clapped as a teenage boy with spikey red hair and glasses walked out to stand next to the teachers. He was dressed in a red tunic with white pants, and had some serious muscle in his arms.

"Next, from West Academy is Axel Brodie!" The crowd cheered again. This time a teenage African boy with a serious expression walked onto the stage next to Adrian. He also had muscular arms, and his black hair was styled in short dreadlocks. He was quite scary looking.

"Also, from South Academy is Jim Crocodile Cook!" The crowd applauded when another teenage male stepped onto the stage. This one was a tall, slim boy with spiked black hair peeking out from under his large cowboy hat. His right eye was bandaged and his outfit was very western right down to the cowboy boots and he wore what the students hoped was a stuffed crocodile on his back. Though when its eyes moved that hope was dashed. He would have been intimidating if it weren't for the goofy grin on his face. Jim also moved to stand next to Axel.

"And finally, from our rival school North Academy is Jesse Anderson!" The crowd began to clap again, but it turned into confused silence when no one came through the stage door. Crowler was shocked. "What? Um, Jesse? Are you there?" But no one answered.

"So where is he?" Jaden asked. Most of the student body including teachers seemed to be asking the same question. Jaden turned behind him where his friend and rival Chazz Princeton was sitting. "Have you heard of a Jesse Anderson, Chazz?" The year before, Chazz had been a temporary transfer to North Academy. The black-haired Slifer looked down at Jaden and contemplated this question.

"I think so. The name sounds familiar. Czar was the champion when I was there. Maybe I fought this Jesse kid." Chazz's duel spirit, the little Ojama Yellow then poofed into existence.

"But boss, you fought everyone there and I don't remember any of them being named Jesse!" In response, Chazz swatted the yellow spirit away. "Well when he shows we'll see if he's familiar…"

"If he shows. It's not like a student to be late for a ceremony in their honor." Bastian said, sitting behind Syrus. The Ra duelist shook his head. "Unless it's Jaden." Syrus and Chazz agreed and Jaden whined how they were being mean. During this exchange they failed to notice the doors to the back of the auditorium open until they heard heavy breathing from the boy in the doorway.

"Sorry I'm late! Guess I got a little lost!" Jaden looked up to see the bluenette from the roof standing in the doorway.

"Hey! New kid!" Jaden stood up and called the student over. "I just saw you on the roof, how did you get lost?"

The blue-haired boy sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "It's a special talent of mine… without Ruby I can't find my way anywhere!" The two chuckled at that.

"Hey, have you seen a guy named Jesse anywhere?" The bluenette snickered at this comment.

"Yup sure have! I'm Jesse!" Jaden blinked in surprise. This was North Academy's champion? Jesse looked sheepishly at Jaden. "Sorry I forgot to introduce myself before! I was just so excited to meet you I guess I forgot!" Jaden blushed at the compliment while Jesse ran up onstage and climbed up on. Dr. Crowler cleared his throat.

"Um let's try this again… introducing our North Academy Champion, Jesse Anderson!" The crowd applauded again as Jesse waved. He then went to stand next to the other champions. Standing to about each of their shoulders. Feeling rather silly standing next to such tall males, Jesse attempted to puff himself up to make himself look bigger, until Jim Cook looked over to him.

"You ok, mate?" The Aussie poked Jesse in the stomach, causing the bluenette to let out the air he was holding and deflate. He then glared at the Southern champion. Jim merely chuckled at that. And Jaden felt a spark of jealousy. Just then, Dr. Crowler motioned for the students to calm down.

"And now for the biggest announcement! Introducing our last student, fresh out of the pro leagues, the one, the only! Aster Phoenix!" After the rather dramatic introduction, the same silver-haired teen that Jaden dueled earlier walked on stage to a round of applause (and lots of screaming from the female population). The white-haired duelist walked past the other four and stood next to Dr. Crowler. Looking into the crowd his eyes met Jaden's with a fire. Then as Crowler announced that the end of the assembly he was the first one out the door.

Jaden couldn't wait to duel against Aster for real. But first, he wanted to snag that new kid Jesse and give him the grand tour of the school! He jumped down the seats to the stage, leaving his other friends in the dust.

"Hey Jesse! Wait up!"

Aster entered a pure white, circular room. In the center was an ornate table wherein sat a young man shuffling a deck of tarot cards. The man opened striking amethyst eyes and spoke without looking at Aster.

"So how was your duel, Aster?"

Aster stood next to the man and huffed. "Lame. Why did you make me face that Jaden kid? He isn't even that good and I lost on purpose." Aster folded his arms and tried not to pout. The man turned his violet eyes onto the teen.

"Yes, I do believe it's time for you to learn how this can help your career…" Though without finishing he turned back to his cards and flipped the three over. It was the Fool on the left, the Magician on the right, with the High Priestess in the middle. Aster grew impatient.

"Well? You better tell me, Sartorius!"

The man, Sartorius, smiled. "The cards have confirmed my suspicions. It is under Jaden Yuki's protection." He turned to Aster who looked confused. "Listen to me, Aster. At duel academy right now is a power source. This source has the power to make your deck unbeatable. However, at the moment it is guarded by Jaden Yuki."

Aster frowned. That childish slacker didn't deserve a gift like that. "So you want me to take it from him?"

"Win it from him."

Aster nodded. "Understood." He turned to leave and then paused. "Sartorius… what does this power source look like?"

"I don't know." Sartorius shook his head. "However it has only recently arrived at Duel Academy. Look for something new that Jaden guards viciously."

Aster contemplated this. "Something Jaden guards viciously." He nodded once again. "Got it. I'll find this power and win it from Jaden. Someone as immature and idiotic as him doesn't deserve it anyways." And with that he turned on his heels and exited the room.

Sartorius flashed a toothy grin and chuckled. With Aster's help he was sure to have what he wished in his clutches before long.

"The Key will be mine…"

**To Be Continued…**

Note: well that chapter was longer then the last one. And as the story Progresses further it'll stray from the original show's plot more. And yes, I know the transfers don't come till the next season, but I wonder how it'll be with them there! XD oh, and if I misspelled someone's name please let me know.

Chapter 2 is already being written!

Please review and tell me what you think! Any and all critiques are welcome!

**Preview of Next Chapter…**

_Jesse's heart seemed to flutter as Jaden's hand closed on his, as it had when he first locked eye's with the brunette's. He couldn't explain why but he felt oddly safer when he was with Jaden…_

_The group stared in shock as Aster Phoenix defeated the Duel Academy alumni, Zane Truesdale. The silver-haired teen looked smugly into the camera._

"_I hope you're ready for me, Jaden Yuki. Because I'm coming to take something precious to you that you don't deserve!"_


	3. Chapter 2: A normal Day?

**Note: Ok! Here's Chapter two!**

**Warning, this chapter is a bit boring but it will cut to the good stuff for next chapter!**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Still not owning.**

**To Protect What's Precious**

**By: Rubika-Chan**

**Chapter 2**

"Over there is the cafeteria! And over there is the gym!" Jesse chuckled at the hyperactive Slifer continued to drag Jesse all over the whole school on his very own tour.

His heart seemed to flutter as Jaden's hand closed on his, as it had when he first locked eyes with the brunette's. He couldn't explain why, but he felt oddly safer when he was with Jaden. Like how he also couldn't explain how he had wound up on the roof when he was supposed to be on the boat with the other transfers.

Jesse pushed that question out of his mind when Jaden dragged him outside for the rest of his personal tour. He stared up at the big blue building in front of him.

"This is the Obelisk Blue dorm!"

"It looks like a castle!" Jesse exclaimed. The walls shone white and the polished blue tiles on the roof sparkled in the sun. and Jesse decided then and there that he didn't lie it. He hoped it wasn't where he was staying.

"This is where you'll be staying, Jesse!"

Damn it.

The bluenette pouted while Jaden pulled him down the path to another, smaller building.

"This is the Ra Yellow dorms!" They stopped in front of the large yellow building that looked like a rather luxurious house.

'_I wonder if I can stay here instead…'_ Jesse thought. He really didn't like the Obelisk dorms_. 'Maybe I can ask for a dorm change…'_

"Wah!" Jesse yelped slightly as the brunette grabbed his arm yet again and hauled him off the path and towards the coast. Though rather faster this time. The two continued down this path until a new dorm came into view. This one was quite small and shabby in comparison to the other two. The red roof tiles were chipped and the ugly yellow paint on the walls was peeling. It was love at first sight.

"Ok, I'm definitely asking for a dorm transfer."

"Why's that?" Jaden asked. Wasn't the bluenette happy to be in the fancy blue dorm? Said bluenette glanced at him.

"Because the blue dorm is way too fancy." He replied. "I don't fit in with the high-class types. I'm used to dorms like this one." It was true, at North Academy the fanciest dorms were in a class between the Slifer and Ra dorms. And Jesse found the Red dorm to be rather cozy.

Jaden's face lit up like Christmas had come early. "Really? Well I'm in this dorm, maybe you can bunk with Syrus and me?" He clasped the blue-haired teen's hands in his own and unleashed his ultimate weapon.

The big brown puppy-dog eyes.

"Pleeeeeaaaassee Jess? It's be so much fun!" Jesse blushed at his new nickname. He smiled. How could he refuse?

"Well as long as your roommate doesn't mind, sure!"

Jaden shrugged. "I don't see a reason why not!"

Syrus stared. The champion of North Academy gave up his suite-like room in Obelisk Blue to stay in the run-down, rat-infested, Slifer Red dorm?

"So how 'bout it, Sy?" Jaden asked. "He can take Chumley's old bed!" Jaden gave his small roommate an excited and pleading look.

"Oh, alright." Syrus sighed. "Since we have an extra bed anyways." Jaden whooped and tackled Syrus into a big bear hug. Syrus blushed furiously as the as the brunette Slifer finished squeezing him and turned back to the European transfer.

"You get the top bunk, Jesse!" Syrus felt better about that. Truth be told he had a rather large crush on his brown-eyed roommate and this newcomer, Jesse Anderson, could be a big threat! At least when Chumley bunked with them he didn't have to worry about that.

Though he had to admit he was curious what life would be like living with this new "other Jaden" as others kept referring to him as. Two Jaden's on the island…

Would this be good or bad?

Jaden's voice shook him from his musings.

"Syrus! Did you hear? Your brother's dueling later after class! Chazz said we can watch it on his big TV!" Syrus brightened. Since Zane had graduated, they hadn't seen him off of TV and Syrus missed him.

After class, the three of them were on their way back to the Red dorm, Jaden decided to take a short cut.

"Hey, guys! Let's go past the bridge to get back. It's faster than this way!" Jesse nodded in agreement but Syrus was hesitant.

"Um, Jaden… I don't think that's such a good idea…"

Jaden looked at the green-haired Slifer in confusion. "What's wrong, Sy? Don't you want to catch Zane's duel?"

"Yeah but…" Syrus shifted meekly. "There's a nasty rumor going around. They say there's this bully who sits there and challenges anyone who comes through there to a duel. And-" Syrus was cut off as both Jaden and Jesse jumped up as this news.

"Are you serious?" They cried in unison. "I wanna duel him!" The two paused and looked at each other. And laughed. Syrus sweatdropped. Great. They did have a pair of clones in the school. He was so lost in thought that he didn't realize the other two teens both ran off, racing to see who would duel this "bully".

"Hey! Wait up!"

Once they arrived at the bridge, Jaden and Jesse both leaned against the bridge's posts, trying to catch their breath. Suddenly, a rough voice rang out, successfully catching both of their attentions.

"Hold it right there, civilians!"

The two duelists looked up to see a tall, tan, and VERY muscular Ra yellow student standing before them in the middle of the bridge. He had dreadlocks hanging out from under a dinosaur-like bandanna and his Ra Yellow uniform had been modified as a vest. They took a wild guess and figured this must be the bully Syrus had been talking about. He also had a group of other bandanna-wearing Ra yellow students behind him as backup. The stranger spoke again.

"No man crosses this bridge without defeating me in a duel!"

"I'll accept your challenge!" the two teens spoke in unison again. Both pumped for a duel. The Ra yellow bully looked between the two… and pointed at Jesse.

"I said no MAN crosses this bridge without dueling me! I ain't dueling a girl!"

Jaden sniggered slightly as Jesse flushed angrily. "Who you callin' a girl!"

"Well female or not, I ain't dueling you." The Ra student looked away from the fuming bluenette and focused his gaze to the slightly more boyish (though rather cute, he observed) brunette. A smirk made its way to his lips. "You. You'll be my opponent!" Jaden stuck his tongue out at Jesse, who pouted. "The name's Tyranno Hassleberry!"

"Ok then! My name's Jaden Yuki! Now let's duel!" And the duel began.

(Sorry, I can't write duel scenes very well.)

Syrus finally caught up with his friend in time to watch Jaden's duel with the new guy. He looked to the side and noticed the North Academy transfer sitting behind Jaden, with a sour look on his face. "What's going on?"

"The guy over there challenged Jaden." Jesse grumbled. The girl remark was still stinging slightly.

"Well, don't worry, Jaden will win!" Syrus had full faith in his crush. He had only seen Jaden lose once, to his brother, Zane.

"Go Jaden!" Jesse cheered, as Jaden successfully destroyed Hassleberry's Dark Driceritops. Jaden felt his face heat slightly when he heard the European cheer for HIM. Hassleberry glared over at Jaden's "fan club".

"Silence on the sidelines! I don't need no cheerleaders distracting the duelists!"

"Hey! Leave Jesse alone!" Jaden snapped, glaring at Hassleberry. Jesse and Syrus sweatdropped in the background.

"Jaden, he was referring to Syrus too!" Jesse sighed as Jaden blinked.

"Oh, yeah. Syrus too."

"You are such a dolt, Jaden!" The small green-haired teen resisted the urge to throw something at his crush. He couldn't help admitting feelings of jealousy beginning to creep into his chest.

By the time the duel ended, Jaden had defeated Hassleberry using a new Elemental Hero of his. Jesse had to admit it was a great duel to watch. The victorious brunette bounded back over to the other two teens.

"Ok! Now let's get back over to the Red dorm to watch Zane's duel!"

The three duelists made it back to the Slifer red dorm just in time. Chazz had his big TV set up and the whole gang was there to watch Zane's big duel against Aster Phoenix.

"Welcome duelists!" Announced the announcer (go fig, huh?) "Get ready for the duel of the century! Zane Truesdale, verses Aster Phoenix!" The crowd in the stadium let out a deafening roar of applause as the two pro duelists entered each side of the stadium.

"Good luck, kid." Zane looked down at the younger pro as they shuffled eachother's deck. This kid seemed a bit too cocky.

"Good luck yourself, gramps!" Came Aster's snide remark. The teal-haired alumni narrowed his eyes. Time to put this brat in his place. Once the two were done shuffling their decks, they proceeded to each side of the duel arena to begin the match.

"Duel!"

"Go Zane!"

"You can do it big brother!"

Chazz rolled his eyes. "He can't hear you dorks!" Alexis responded by smacking the youngest Princeton atop his spikey head. "Ow! How could you do that, Lexie!"

"Enough. Let's watch and see what Aster's new deck is!" The group of students turned their attention towards the TV again. The silver-haired duelist made the first move.

"I summon Elemental Hero Avian in attack mode!" The group gasped.

"Wait! That's Jaden's deck!" Jesse exclaimed.

"That's not cool! He ripped off my deck!" This was one of the very few times Jaden felt officially angry. No one messed with his deck.

"Don't worry, Jay! Zane will beat Aster!"

(after the duel [cause I can't write duel scenes])

The group stared in shock as Aster Phoenix defeated the Duel Academy alumni, Zane Truesdale. The silver-haired teen looked smugly into the camera.

"I hope you're ready for me, Jaden Yuki. Because I'm coming to take something precious to you that you don't deserve!"

In his own room in the Obelisk dorms, someone else was listening. He was quite curious as to what Aster meant.

"Something precious? I wonder what that could be…" A grin made itss way on the young man's face. "This could be interesting…"

Jaden contemplated what Aster had said when he, Syrus, and now Jesse went back to their dorm. '_Something precious? What's he talking about? Does he mean my deck?_' But even though he couldn't stomach the idea of Aster taking his Elemental Heroes away from him (even though he apparently had some of his own) he could also feel excitement at the thought of dueling against the famous Aster Phoenix for real! The last time didn't count. And he hoped to win!

A knock on the door interrupted Jaden's thoughts.

"?" The brunette looked towards the door. "Who could that be?" Jaden got up and opened the door. And Tyranno Hassleberry walked in. "Um, what are you doing here, Hassleberry?"

"Yeah." Syrus agreed. "Cause I don't think that you think you're staying here with us! This place is as full as it can get!"

"That's right!" Jesse noticed. "All three beds are taken."

"I'll find a place to crash. I figured I had a lot to learn so why not learn it from the best?" The solider wanna-be looked over at Jaden with a rather fanboyish (and was that a hint of lust Syrus saw?) look. "Hassleberry reporting for duty, Sarge!"

Jaden sweatdropped. "Um… ok… sure…" He was just too nice to say no. Syrus did not want this new rival for Jaden sleeping in their dorm… speaking of, where was he going to sleep?

"Wait a minute. Then where are you going to sleep? We only have three beds!"

"Well…" Jesse felt bad. He already had a room so why crowd this up. Even if he would much rather stay here. "I can go sleep in the room they got for me at the Blue dorm if that would be easier…"

"NO!" The three looked a bit taken aback when Jaden shouted. "No way, Jess! We'll make room! You don't have to go!" The brunette once again decided to use his ultimate weapon. And Jesse felt like if he had to stand those puppy dog eyes one more time he'd be nothing left but a pile of mush on the Slifer dorm floor. "We can share a bed if you want! Please?"

The bluenette's face went red faster than a stoplight. Sleep in the same bed? "Um, Jaden I…" Jaden's big brown eyes were just too much. "I guess so."

"Yay!"

Syrus felt like crying. And Hassleberry looked ready to kill.

And the two "dueling morons" didn't notice a thing but each other.

Aster stood on the deck of his yacht. That was a tough duel, but once again, destiny was on his side. As it would be when he faced Jaden. Just the thought of the brain-dead slacker was enough to make his hands shake in anger. Not only was the Slifer brat dueling with a deck of heroes, he was also in possession of some kind of power source. The pro duelist's hand slammed onto the railing.

"Argh! How dare that twerp! He doesn't deserve that power! Power that…" Aster reached into his back pocket and pulled out a photo. It showed a rather young adult man who bore a striking resemblance to Aster. "That could bring you back to me… Father…"

**To Be Continued…**

Phew! That was a long chapter! . But the next one will be more exciting!

Hehe I kind of rushed the end a bit ^-^' I'll work on writing duel scenes if I can.

I won't be able to update as much during the week, but I'll do my best to get the next chapter written and up as soon as possible! In the meantime, please review! Any critiques are welcome as well!

Thanks for reading!

**Preview of Chapter 3**

"_I'm telling you, Jaden!" Aster was livid. Glaring in disgust at the bewildered brunette he snapped; "You don't deserve that power!"_

"_Aster, what are you talking about?" Jaden asked. Why did Aster hate him so much? And what was this "Power" he kept talking about?_

"_You can play dumb all you want. But when I win I'll be taking it from you anyways!"_

"_I'm serious, Aster! What is this 'power' you're talking about?"_

_Unbeknownst to the two duelists and Jaden's friends, standing off in the shadows of a secluded corner of the duel arena stood Adrian Gecko. The East Academy champion smirked slightly to himself._

"_That's what I would like to know as well…"_


	4. Chapter 3: The Heroes Duel

**Note: Sorry it took so long to update! It was a hectic week at both school and work! But I plan to upload faster next time!**

**Thanks for all the reviews!**

**By: Rubika-Chan**

**Here's Chapter 3!**

**To Protect What's Precious**

**Chapter 3**

It was the night before Jaden's big duel with Aster Phoenix, and Jaden was busy preparing. Or rather, Bastian and Syrus were researching Aster and Jaden was lounging with Jesse on the Ra yellow bed.

"Jaden… don't you think you should be helping us out? This is your duel after all…" Syrus couldn't help the now-familiar burn of jealousy when he looked over and saw the European exchange student lying next to HIS best friend. "You can't lose to Aster!"

"Chill, Sy!" The brunette laughed. "It's just a rematch. Everything will work out, and I'm real excited!"

Jesse yawned and leaned back against Jaden's shoulder. "Me too, and I'll only be watching!" The bluenette smiled. "And don't worry! What's the worst that could happen?"

"He could take his 'something precious'…"

Jaden blinked. "Oh yeah… I wonder what that is…" '_It can't be my deck… Aster already ripped that off so there'd be no point… is it… Winged Kuriboh? But Aster can't see spirits…_' The question was really bothering him. What was precious to him that Aster could take?

His hand subconsciously tightened on the bluenette's shoulder sitting against him, but neither noticed.

A knock on the door startled the room's inhabitants.

"Who could that be?" Syrus answered the door (as the pair on the bed seemed too lazy to) and was greeted by the South Academy champion, Jim Cook. "Jim? What are you doing here?" The Australian was panting slightly and looked rather frantic.

"Have any of you seen Shirley?"

"Your croc?"

"Yes. We were out for a walk when she suddenly ran off!"

"Well we haven't seen her…" Jesse sat up straight to look at the taller transfer. "But we can help you look for her! Jim beamed.

"Really?"

"Sure!" Jaden sat up as well. "We're not doing anything important!" Despite Bastion and Syrus' protests, they ran out to look for the rogue crocodile.

Aster entered the room where Sartorius sat.

"So you gonna wish me luck, Sartorius?" The silver-haired duelist's friend stood.

"I will do more than that… give me your deck. I will infuse it with the power of destiny." Sartorius smirked as Aster innocently handed his deck over. He held his hand over the deck and it glowed white. And the white glow spread into the cards and vanished, leaving the deck of cards looking as though nothing had happened. Indeed, Aster didn't appear to notice anything had happened. "Here you go."

"Thanks." The teen pro took his deck back, feeling even more confident than before. "And don't worry. I'm destined to win, and I'll take that power from that punk, Jaden!" Aster felt anger lick at his stomach thinking of the power he deserved in the hands of such an immature brat. "I'm going to go blow off some steam before the match. See you later." And with that Aster set off towards the main entrance of the school.

Once he got down towards the main school Aster noticed a man in a ski mask sneaking out of the doorway with a sack full of Duel Academy's new card shipments. The silver-haired duelist smirked. Here was a good way to work off that extra bit of frustration.

"Alright, mates. It may be better if we split up to find Shirley."

Jaden nodded in agreement with the one-eyed Aussie. "Good idea, Jim."

"I'll go with Jesse." Jim stated. Jaden froze.

'Bad idea, Jim.' He thought. Jim turned from Jaden to look over at said bluenette.

"That alright with you, Jess?" Jim smiled down at the European.

'That's MY nickname for him!'

"Um, yeah, I guess that's ok." Jesse responded, the two overseas champions oblivious to the very axe-murderer-like vibes coming off of the brunette Slifer.

A cry split through the air from the direction of the main school. Jaden and the others looked up in alarm.

"What was that?" Syrus squeaked.

"Maybe Jim's pet crocodile attacked someone?" Jaden's suggestion got him a hard thwack to the head by said Australian.

"Shirley's family, not a pet." Jim stood up. "But it could be her, let's go see!" And with that, the group of students ran off towards the main entrance. They arrived just in time to see a man holding a bag of cards collapse in front of a familiar silver-haired teenager.

"Aster?"

"Well, well, look who it is. What's up, Jaden?" Aster smirked. "I was just looking for a warm-up duel before our duel tomorrow.

Jesse looked behind Aster at the unconscious man behind him. "What did you do to him?"

"He was a thief. So I punished him like he should be." Aster smirked at the concerned bluenette. "He got what he deserved." He turned to Jaden. "So, Jaden. You ready for tomorrows duel? I hope so…"

Jaden nodded. "You bet! I'm pumped!" Aster sniffed in annoyance.

"Oh, and by the way. Aside from your friends here, there will be no spectators."

"What?"

"Why not?" Aster rolled his eyes at Jaden's ignorance.

"Because, Jaden, I am a pro. People pay money to see me duel, so I can't give out any freebies." Aster smirked slightly. "Although." He took Jesse's hand, startling the bluenette. "Your friends here are welcome to watch me defeat you."

"U-uh…" Jesse stammered. Jaden instantly yanked Jesse's hand out of Aster's, while Jim glared down at him. Aster chuckled. Baiting these losers was just so easy.

"Well I'll see you guys tomorrow. Make it a good duel, Jaden. I don't want to be too bored." And with that the pro duelist went back to his yacht to await the next day…

….

The following day arrived with great anticipation. Even though Aster restricted visitors, Bastian, Alexis, Mindy, Jazmine, Syrus, Hassleberry, Jim, Jesse, and Chazz were able to attend and sat in the stands.

"Get ready, Jaden!" Aster called. Said brunette waved to his friends and turned to his opponent.

"I'm ready, Aster! Let's have a fun duel!"

"Duel!"

Throughout the duel, the two were head-to-head, as they were playing similar moves. However, Aster always seemed to be one step ahead of the Slifer hero.

"You see what I'm talking about, Jaden? My deck's better than yours and so am I!"

"Hey, chill out, Aster. I just want a fun game!"

"Shut your mouth! Dueling isn't about fun!" Aster snarled. He couldn't believe this twerp! "Only real heroes should duel with a deck of heroes! Not little punks like you who just think they're cool!" How could this idiot hold the power he was searching for?

"Aster…"

"I'm telling you, Jaden!" Aster was livid. Glaring in disgust at the bewildered brunette he snapped; "You don't deserve that power!"

"Aster, what are you talking about?" Jaden asked. Why did Aster hate him so much? And what was this "Power" he kept talking about?

"You can play dumb all you want. But when I win I'll be taking it from you anyways!"

"I'm serious, Aster! What is this 'power' you're talking about?"

Unbeknownst to the two duelists and Jaden's friends, standing off in the shadows of a secluded corner of the duel arena stood Adrian Gecko. The East Academy champion smirked slightly to himself.

"That's what I would like to know as well…"

"You can do it, Jaden!" Jesse cheered.

"You beat me, Slacker! Don't lose to this ass tard!" The cheering section went quiet as everyone turned to look at Chazz. "What? It rhymes and it's true!"

Jaden chuckled at the black Slifer. Aster huffed.

"Well it's about time I showed you the real heroes of my deck. My turn!" Aster drew his card. "I play Destiny Hero Doom Lord!"

"What hero?"

As the silver-haired duelist played his card, a creature unlike Jaden had ever seen appeared on the field (and that was saying something as he had dueled some pretty odd decks.) His first thought was "demon" as it had a bald white head, long claws, and a spiked cape.

"Meet the true monsters of my deck! The destiny heroes! And they're going to make sure I defeat you and get the power I deserve!"

"Wow, Aster! I still don't know what power you're talking about, but I can't wait to pitch my heroes against yours!"

(At the end of the duel)

Jaden's friends gasped in shock as Jaden's life points fell to zero. He lost.

"Jaden…" Jesse sat up straighter as he noticed something. Something wasn't right. He could see… or was it sense… a menacing aura from Aster's monster, Dogma(correct me if I'm wrong) as it struck Jaden. "What the…" Was he seeing things?

Suddenly, Jaden lurched, and the cards in his deck scattered as he collapsed to the duel arena floor.

"I guess that settles it." Aster turned to leave the semi-conscious brunette. "I win. I'll pick up the power later." And with that he walked out of the arena.

As darkness closed in on Jaden's vision, the last thing he saw was his cards slowly being cleared to white.

"What is… happening…" And with that he blacked out.

"Jaden!"

**To Be Continued…**

Phew. Long chapter. But the duel with Aster is done! And I hope to upload faster next time.

Preview of Next Chapter.

'_I don't get it… why can't I see any of my cards or duel spirits?' Jaden sat on his bed against the wall. Staring in disbelief at his blank cards._

"_Jaden…"_

_Jaden looked over towards Jesse's voice, but what he saw was not his friend._

"_Jaden? Is something wrong?"_

_SLAM!_

_Jesse cried out in pain as Jaden seized him around the throat and slammed him against the wall._

"_Jaden! Let go! You're hurting me!" Jesse gasped, struggling to free himself._

"_You're not Jesse…" Jaden snarled, a slightly gold gleam in his eyes. "Where's Jesse?"_

"_J-Jaden…" The bluenette's struggles grew weaker as he fought for air._

"_What have you done with Jesse?"_

Till Next time!


	5. Chapter 4: Aftermath

Hello! Thanks for all the reviews! Here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own (still).

**To Protect What's Precious**

**Chapter Four**

"Jaden!"

"Jaden!" The brunette was unresponsive as his group of friends tried to rouse him. "Jaden wake up!" Syrus was franticly shaking his best friend. "Please wake up!"

"Calm down, Syrus." Bastian looked under Jaden's eyelid. "He's just unconscious. He should wake up soon. Let's take him to the nurse's office, she'll have a look at him." Syrus and Hassleberry nodded.

"I'll carry him!" The dino duelist knelt and pulled Jaden onto his back, with a smug smirk in Syrus' direction. "Let's go!"

The group with the unconscious slifer ran off towards the nurse. Jesse hesitated, looking back at where Aster had left. He knew he saw something from Aster's deck strike Jaden as he lost. Something wasn't right.

"Jess. You coming, mate?" Jesse snapped from his musings and turned to the Australian who called him.

"Coming, Jim." The two transfer students proceeded to follow the others to the nurse's office.

"Well I don't know what exactly happened, but he should be fine. All of his vital signs and reflexes are strong." Nurse Fontaine said. The group of students had come barging in with Jaden unconscious, but as far as she could tell no real damage had been done.

"That's good…" Alexis sighed in relief along with most of the gang. Jesse however was skeptical. He knew what he saw, and what he saw could not have been good.

"Hey! He's waking up!" The bluenette blinked and went over to Jaden's side as the brunette duelist was waking up. Though he got stuck behind Hassleberry and Alexis so it was hard to see.

"Jaden! You ok?"

Jaden groaned and slowly sat up, opening his large brown eyes. He felt so disoriented… "What happened?" And slowly he began to remember. He remembered dueling Aster Phoenix and losing. He remembered being struck by some unseen force. And he remembered his cards… his cards that had….

In a panic he reached into his jacket coat and drew out his deck. He shuffled through his cards, hoping that it had just been a trick of the light. But try as hard as he could, he couldn't see past the stark white of the cards to see his monsters.

"No way…"

"Jaden? You ok? We've all been worried about you…" Jaden looked up at Syrus, who looked just about ready to cry.

"I… I'm ok, Syrus…" But no one seemed convinced. Jaden glanced back down at his deck as Jesse managed to squirm past Hassleberry to check on his roommate.

'_I don't get it… why can't I see any of my cards or duel spirits?'_ Jaden sat on his bed against the wall. Staring in disbelief at his blank cards.

"Jaden…"

Jaden looked over towards Jesse's voice, seeing Jesse always made him feel better, but what he saw was not his friend.

"Jaden? Is something wrong?"

SLAM!

Jesse cried out in pain as Jaden seized him around the throat and slammed him against the wall.

"Jaden! Let go! You're hurting me!" Jesse gasped, struggling to free himself.

"You're not Jesse…" Jaden snarled, a slightly gold gleam in his eyes. "Where's Jesse?"

"J-Jaden…" The bluenette's struggles grew weaker as he fought for air.

"What have you done with Jesse?"

Jaden tightened his grip on the struggling European. This was not his friend. This was not Jesse. He wasn't even sure what it was! He could hear Alexis running to get Nurse Fontaine in the background, as well as Syrus and Bastian trying to dislodge him from the imposter's throat. But he held tight and ignored them. He could not, however, see the Crystal Beasts, all of which were screaming at him to release their master.

"J…. Jay…" Jesse's face grew paler and paler as he finally stopped fighting Jaden due to lack of air. Jaden watched as the image of his friend flickered in and out of focus, at times reverting to a shimmering green shape barely visible between his hands. And at others, disappearing altogether.

"What the hell are you?" Just before the bluenette passed out, the combined efforts of Hassleberry, Bastian, and Jim managed to tear him away from the boy he was strangling. "Let me go! That isn't Jesse! It isn't real!"

Jesse slumped to the ground, gasping and panting, trying to get as much air into his lungs as he could. His head was swimming and his throat hurt. He stared at Jaden as his best friend was determined to get at his throat.

"You're not real!"

Those words stung. Jesse's eyes slowly filled with tears as he got up from the floor, backing away from the enraged brunette. Quickly he turned and fled the nurse's office, not wanting anyone to see him cry. And so Jaden wouldn't get another chance to strangle him. He ignored Jim's call for him and continued running until he made it outside. He finally stopped at the edge of the cliff outside the Red dorm. He fell to his knees there, tears sliding down his flushed cheeks and down his neck, where finger-shaped bruises could be seen forming.

'_Jesse….._'

Jesse looked up to see his family standing around him. Ruby Carbuncle climbed onto his shoulder and tenderly licked the bruises on his neck, chirping in concern. Jesse smiled at the gesture, even though he couldn't feel it.

"Don't worry, guys. I'm ok…" Amethyst Cat growled low in her throat.

"If I see that Jaden Yuki kid again, he'll wish he never met us…"

"No… something's wrong with Jaden." Sapphire Pegasus spoke up. "He can no longer see Winged Kuriboh or any of his other monsters. I don't believe he can see us either." Jesse pondered this.

"I knew I saw something hit him… but he seems to be the same around all of his other friends… why did he attack me?" The sad bluenette stared out at the ocean. "Why did he say I wasn't real?" He didn't notice the nervous looks the Crystal Beasts gave each other.

Then, he had an idea. "He got that way after dueling Aster… Aster must have done something to him!" With that, the European duelist stood up. "I'm gonna go give that jerk a piece of my mind!" He then headed towards the docks to go find the silver-haired pro, with the Crystal Beasts following him to make sure he stayed safe.

After the distraught bluenette had run out of the nurse's office, Nurse Fontaine came in and the combined efforts of Jim, Hassleberry, and Bastian managed to get him to lie back down.

"You don't understand! That isn't Jesse!" Jaden continued to cry as the two strong Ra students held him down.

"Says the boy who can't even see his cards." Chazz sneered. Alexis hit him over the head again.

"Chazz! You're not helping!"

"I'll go find Jesse." Jim spoke softly. "He must be pretty shaken up." Syrus nodded as the Australian left the nurse's office to go find said bluenette.

After several minutes, Jaden finally calmed down. He knew what he saw was not Jesse, let alone human, but the others obviously didn't believe him so why push the subject. "I'm a bit tired, guys… do you think I could be left alone for a little while?"

His friends looked surprised but nodded. Syrus, Alexis, Bastian, and Hassleberry left, but Chazz stayed behind. He looked at Jaden with an odd look on his face. Almost, dare Jaden think it… gental.

"You sure you're ok, slacker?"

Jaden's lips twitched into an almost-smile at his old nickname. "Yeah, I'm sure." Jaden lied. Chazz seemed to hesitate for a minute. Then slowly leaned closer, his face inches from the brunette's.

"Um… Chazz? What are you doing?" Jaden edged back on his hospital bed, starting to feel uncomfortable as a blush made its way across his cheeks. The black slifer's lips were just centimeters from his own when Chazz seemed to snap out of it. He quickly drew back, his normally pale face beet red, embarrassed at his actions.

"I-I'll see you around, slacker." He quickly headed out the door, slamming it behind him, leaving a very confused Jaden behind.

"What… just happened?"

Chazz leaned against the door of his dorm room, panting. He had run as fast as he could to get away from the brunette he had almost… what had he been thinking?

'_You weren't thinking_.' Said a small voice in his head. '_You let your emotions get out of control and almost did something you would have regretted_.' Chazz had to agree with the voice in his head. As much as he HATED to admit it, recently he had found the hyperactive brunette… dare he say it… attractive.

"No!" He shouted, glad he was alone in the room. "No! I hate that slacker!"

"I am not in love with Jaden Yuki!"

**To Be Continued…**

Ah, the plot. It thickens! Lol! There's gonna be a lot of drama coming up!

Well thanks for reading and I hope to get to juicer stuff next chapter! I'm gonna try to go for at LEAST once a week updating. Unless school gets in the way.

Till next chapter!

**Preview of Next Chapter…**

_Jesse panted slightly as he reached the docks, the sun was starting to go down, casting long shadows over the concrete platforms. He had to find Aster, and find out what he did to Jaden. He absentmindedly fingered the sore bruises on his neck…_

"_Well, well, well…" Jesse jumped in surprise and turned to see a familiar silver-haired teenager standing on the yacht behind him. "What's a pretty thing like you doing out so late by yourself?_

…_.._

_Jaden slowly eased the door to his room open. Syrus and Hassleberry were fast asleep and he didn't want to wake them. He quietly grabbed his backpack and snuck back outside._

'_I can't see my cards to duel… there's nothing left for me here…' He secured the backpack on his back and headed towards the dock. 'Later, Duel Academy. I'm going to find the real Jesse…'_

…_._

_Chazz sighed as he strolled through the woods. He just could not get the hyper (now depressed) slacker out of his mind._

"_Man, I wish this would stop…" He jumped when a voice answered._

"_I can grant that for you…"_

_Chazz yelped and whirled around to see a tall young man with long purple hair and creepy amethyst eyes._

"_W-who the hell are you?"_

"_You can call me Sartorius…"_


	6. Chapter 5: New Happenings

I was on a writing spree so I managed to write this chapter pretty quick! Enjoy!

Any reviews and criticisms are welcome!

Disclaimer: I don't own.

**To Protect What's Precious**

**Chapter 5**

Jaden slowly eased the door to his room open. Syrus and Hassleberry were fast asleep and he didn't want to wake them. He quietly grabbed his backpack and snuck back outside.

'I can't see my cards to duel… there's nothing left for me here…' He secured the backpack on his back and headed towards the dock. 'Later, Duel Academy. I'm going to find the real Jesse…'

Jesse panted slightly as he reached the docks. The sun was starting to go down, casting long shadows over the concrete platforms. He had to find Aster, and find out what he did to Jaden. He absentmindedly fingered the sore bruises on his neck…

"Well, well, well…" Jesse jumped in surprise and turned to see a familiar silver-haired teenager standing on the yacht behind him. "What's a pretty thing like you doing out so late by yourself?"

Jesse couldn't help but blush slightly at the comment. "Actually Aster, I was looking for you."

The pro duelist's face perked slightly at this unexpected news. "And what can I do for you?"

"Well… I want to know what you did to Jaden!" Jesse demanded. Aster looked confused.

"Did to Jaden? I beat him is all. What, you think your precious "hero" couldn't lose?" Jesse flushed angrily at Aster's snide remark.

"That's not it, and you know it! Now tell me what you did to him!"

Aster chuckled and watched as Jesse shivered slightly in the chill of the night air.

"Why don't you come on inside, Jesse… we can discuss matters in here where it's warm. I have some questions for you too…"

Jesse considered the option. It would beat freezing out here. But before he took a step, he was stopped by Topaz Tiger appearing in front of him.

"Jesse, I don't think you should go in there alone with him…"

"I won't be alone. You guys will be there with me." Before the Crystal Beasts could argue, Jesse climbed up the ladder and followed Aster inside the yacht.

If they had waited just a bit longer however, they would have seen a very familiar brunette arrive at the docks, and leave the island in a smaller boat.

Jesse looked around the inside of the yacht in awe. It was quite fancy. But now was not the time to admire the boat.

"Aster, I want to know what you did to your deck."

"I don't know what you're talking about. But I have a question for you. The condition me and Jaden had for the duel was for me to have something of Jaden's. Something he holds dear… something new in his life as of this year. Do you know of anything like that?"

Jesse thought about it. He didn't think Aster should take anything that belonged to Jaden… but the question nagged him. He had only met Jaden this year so he wouldn't know if anything was new this year.

"I don't know… I was only here this year so I don't know what it could be… but leave Jaden alone! You've done enough damage already!" Jesse winced slightly when he raised his voice. His throat still hurt from the earlier attack. Unfortunately Aster noticed his movement.

"What's that on your neck, Jess?" He reached over and gently touched the bruises on the bluenette's throat.

Jesse flinched slightly at the touch and stepped back from Aster. "It's nothing…"

"Did Jaden do that to you?" Aster smirked when Jesse grew quiet. "That was very violent of him….." He stepped closer to the European duelist, who in turn, took a step back. "So you're sure you don't know anything about what I'm looking for?"

Jesse shook his head. He was starting to feel uncomfortable alone with Aster…

"Well you obviously don't know what I'm talking about… so I'll be going now!" Jesse ducked under the pro duelist's arm and quickly scurried out of the yacht. Aster smirked slightly. This was becoming fun.

Chazz sighed as he strolled through the woods. He just could not get the hyper (now depressed) slacker out of his mind.

"Man, I wish this would stop…" He jumped when a voice answered.

"I can grant that for you…"

Chazz yelped and whirled around to see a tall young man with long purple hair and creepy amethyst eyes.

"W-who the hell are you?"

"You can call me Sartorius…"

"Sartorius? Wait….. aren't you Aster Phoenix's manager?" Chazz asked. "What are you doing at Duel Academy?"

"I'm looking for some more… talent."

This caught Chazz's attention. "More talent?"

"I am wondering… would you care to duel me to show me your skills?" The stranger, Sartorius, asked gently. But the toothy grin still sent chills up Chazz's spine.

"I don't know about this, boss…" The annoying little duel spirit of Chazz's spoke up from behind his shoulder. Ojama yellow was looking at Sartorius with a frightened look on his ugly yellow face. "Don't do it!"

"If you are going to back down now… Jaden will never be yours…" Well that certainly caught the black slifer's attention.

"What? How did you- I mean… what makes you think I want Jaden?" Chazz fought to keep a blush down and off of his face. And failed miserably.

"You have much to learn, Chazz. You may not believe me, but I have the ability to glimpse into the future. And I have seen what you desire… and I can make it come to be…"

Chazz was unable to stop the dirty images flooding into his mind at this comment. Well what could go wrong. He ignored the cries of his duel spirits

"You've got yourself a deal, and a duel!"

The duel was short. Sartorius had won using his strange tarot card deck. And Chazz wasn't sure about his abilities anymore.

"You duel well, Chazz… if you allow me to take you under my wing, I can make you a stronger duelist… you'll be able to easily defeat Jaden… and have him as your own…"

Chazz pondered this. And pondered it shortly. "O… ok. I'll do what you want."

Sartorius grinned. "Excellent." The last thing Chazz saw was Sartorius smirking at him when everything was engulfed in a blinding light.

"Now I want you to find something for me…"

Jaden sighed as he looked out at the ocean around him. He had left Duel Academy so fast, he hadn't the slightest idea where he was going, or where to go to find Jesse. If he was out there. He sighed yet again and looked up at the sky to see what appeared to be a shooting star.

"Huh… might as well make a wish." He looked up at the large red star. "I wish I knew how to get my Jesse back." 'Wait.' He thought. 'MY Jesse? Where did that thought come from.'

His thoughts were interrupted, however, when the shooting star got bigger… and bigger… and bigger. The brunette looked up to see what was not a shooting star, but a large comet heading right for him!

"Whaaaaaa!" Jaden cried, steering the boat away as fast as he could. Unfortunately it wasn't fast enough. Jaden screamed as the flaming object engulfed him in a red light and he felt as though he was floating away…

Alexis, Syrus, Jesse and Hassleberry stared. Chazz had come back into the red dorm the other night and no one had seen him until now. He had ditched his old black coat from North Academy for a new bleached white trench coat. He seemed different…

"Chazz… what are you wearing?" Syrus asked. Chazz chuckled as he turned to the other Slifer residents.

"I'm wearing my new Society uniform. I've seen the light!"

**To Be Continued…**

Ah, the drama increases! Though the end pairings are still up for debate.

I hope you liked it! Tell me what you thought! And what could improve!

**Preview for Next Chapter:**

"_Where am i?" Jaden asked the odd Dolphin creature._

"_You are in Neo Space, Jaden." It replied. "I am a Neo Spacian Aqua Dolphin. But you can call me Aquos."_

"_What's going on, Aquos? Why am I here?" The brunette was confused. The dolphin creature's tone turned serious._

"_We need you, Jaden. An evil force is threatening the balance of reality. It is targeting something precious." Jaden was taken aback by this news._

"_Something precious? Why does everyone keep talking about that?"_

"_Jaden… it's time you learned about the Key…"_

Until Next time!


	7. Chapter 6: The Truth

**Note:** I'm back with the next chapter! It's more of an informative chapter so not a lot happens.

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own

**To Protect What's Precious**

**Chapter 6**

Jaden groaned and opened his eyes. His head hurt. His back hurt. His frickin' eyelashes hurt. He looked around to find himself on a beach somewhere.

"What the… did I float back to the island?" His question was proven to be quite false when he looked off into the horizon to see….

"Jupiter?" Jaden shook his head. "Now I know I'm dead…"

"Oh you're not dead, Jaden."

Said brunette looked over in surprise. But no one was there but the dolphins. "So now I'm dead and losing my mind…"

"Not quite."

There was that voice again! "Who's there?" Jaden looked over to see a dolphin sticking it's head out of the water to look at him. "Was that you talking?" Not that he expected the dolphin to answer him.

"That's right!" And with that it leaped out of the water to land on it's legs. That's right. Legs. It was some kind of human-dolphin-like thing?

"Ok, now I'm confused. What the heck is going on?" Jaden cried. "First I lose to Aster, then I can't see my cards, and now Jesse's been replaced with some illusion and I'm on Jupiter talking with a dolphin people person!" Said "dolphin people person" chuckled at the description.

"Where am i?" Jaden asked the odd Dolphin creature.

"You are in Neo Space, Jaden." It replied. "The space between light matter, and dark matter. We keep the balance of the Universe in order. I am a Neo Spacian Aqua Dolphin. But you can call me Aquos."

"What's going on, Aquos? Why am I here?" The brunette was confused. The dolphin creature's tone turned serious.

"We need you, Jaden. An evil force is threatening the balance of reality. It is targeting something precious." Jaden was taken aback by this news.

"Something precious? Why does everyone keep talking about that?"

"Jaden… it's time you learned about the Key…"

"Jaden!"

"Jaden!"

"Jaden where are you?"

Alexis sighed. They were getting nowhere. "Where could he have gone?"

"Maybe he left to get away from dino-brain here?" Syrus sneered. Glaring at said dino duelist. Hassleberry snarled in retaliation.

"How do you know he didn't leave to get away from a certain whiny little brat? One who can't stand the fact that there is a new man in Jaden's life!"

"Dream on!" Syrus shouted, his face red. "I'm the only man for Jaden!"

"Are not!"

"Am so!"

Alexis sighed yet again. "Guys! We're looking for Jaden! Not arguing over whose going to marry him!" She shook her head at the two fighting Ra yellow duelists. "This is ridiculous…" The blonde looked over to the other two students there. Jim was currently trying to bandage a squirming Jesse's neck. The bruises from Jaden's earlier attack had blossomed to a painful looking black and blue mess along the bluenette's throat.

"Hold still, mate." Jim chuckled. The Australian had been at this for quite some time now, because every time he touched the bruises, Jesse had flinched away. He didn't mind though, because he currently had the smaller European in his lap. To have an easier time bandaging him, of course.

"It feels funny!" Jesse whined. "I don't need it bandaged!" Jim's face was beginning to turn pink due to the squirming teenager on his *ehem* lap and looked at Alexis for help. She decided to intervene then.

"Jesse." She said, standing in front of the two transfer students. "If you sit quietly and let Jim bandage your neck I'll give you this." The female duelist held out a rather large lollipop in front of Jesse's face.

The bluenette instantly began to drool.

"Ok!" And with that he sat stone still until Jim was done.

"Phew. Thanks, Tomorrow Girl." Jim smiled at her, looking over at the content bluenette currently licking his new lollipop. "May I ask, why do you carry candy around?"

"It's a habit I picked up from living with my brother." Alexis explained. "You may not believe me, but he is the biggest baby ever. So I used to keep them with me in case I needed to bribe him. And it looked like it came in handy."

"Yeah." Jim nodded. "Speaking of, where is your brother? I haven't seen him around lately."

Alexis rolled her eyes. "He's still moping at the lighthouse 'cause Zane isn't in the school anymore."

"Ah."

Chazz sat in his room, listening to his dorm mates squabbling over who Jaden's husband was going to be or whatever. He scoffed to himself. Honestly, the only person man enough for Jaden was going to be him. Whether the slacker wanted it to be or not.

"But first…" The white-washed Slifer stood up, readying his duel disk and deck. "I have a job to do… time to make all of Duel Academy see the Light!"

Jaden sat down next to the dolphin man, Aquos, he called himself, to listen.

"So what's this "Key" thing you're talking about? Is it that power source that Aster kept ranting on about?" Jaden asked. "Or is it like, an actual key? Like a car key?"

Aquos sighed. "The first one, more or less. You see, the Key is, in a sense, a large mass of pure energy, that's age and origin is unknown. It is priceless, and extraordinarily delicate. A true 'Gem' in this world." At this, Aquos let slip a small chuckle of amusement, much to Jaden's confusion. Did he miss the joke?

"So… Aster's looking for a giant blob of energy? Like a battery?"

Aquos sighed. "Not quite, Jaden. The key never had a solid form. Until now at least." At Jaden's confused look, he continued. "It was rediscovered several years ago, by a man you should know. Do you recall the name, Maximillion Pegasus?"

"Of course I do!" Jaden sat up straighter. "He's famous! He's the one that discovered Duel Monsters!"

"Well, according to what's been said, he found the key while he was on the hunt for new card ideas. Of course, he didn't know what it was at first. But he could tell that it was precious. Something that needed to be protected. Should it fall into the wrong hands, and it could bring disaster to the world."

"So it's evil?" Jaden exclaimed. "Shouldn't it be destroyed?"

Aquos raised his (it's?) hands in alarm "Evil? Dear me, no! The Key is precious and pure! Farthest from evil!" Jaden sweatdropped slightly. Feeling he had insulted the Duel spirit.

"Sorry!"

"As I was saying, the Key itself is not evil. However it can be used for evil means and must be protected. There is a new threat. A powerful evil that has its sights on the Key. So, with several other humans, Pegasus used powerful magic to bind it into a physical form. And he sent it to you."

This was news to Jaden. "Wait, what? Me? What do I have to do with any of this?"

"Jaden, your destiny is linked to NeoSpace. There is a force out there called the Light of Destruction, and it's been slowly wiping out the Darkness, thus upsetting the balance!"

"So what?" Aquos resisted the urge to hit the dense brunette.

"So what? Jaden, if the balance is tipped too far, it could mean ruin for everything! And the Light of Destruction is targeting the Key. And since your destiny is connected to NeoSpace, the Key was sent to you to protect!"

Jaden could feel his head spinning. So he was supposed to protect some mystical battery that he didn't even know about till a few seconds ago? "But I have no idea where this "Key" is! Let alone what it looks like! Is it a card?" A thought occurred to him. "Is it Winged Kuriboh?"

Aquos shook his head. "No. The Key was only recently given form… and not everything is as it appears, Jaden…"

Jaden blinked. He didn't get it. "So it could be anything? A shoe? A necklace?"

"You're not thinking outside the box Jaden. Not only has the key been given form… it's been given life." Aquos paused. He figured he'd stop beating around the bush, but Jaden needed to figure it out. And prove that there was at least one brain cell under that mop of brown hair. "I want you to answer me something… this new champion from North Academy… have you ever heard of him before?"

Jaden paused to think about this. "No…"

"Even though your friend Chazz was at North Academy only last year?"

"No…."

"And did he show up at the school duel last year?

"No…"

"Have you heard of his 'famous' deck before now?"

"No…"

"Have you heard anything about relatives of his? Or any kind of family?"

"No…"

"And has there been any record or hint of his existence before this year?"

" …. No…." Jaden narrowed his eyes. "Where are you going with-…" His dark brown eyes widened and his face whitened at least three shades. "No way… you're not saying…"

Aquos nodded. "The Key was bound in human form. Jesse is the Key."

Jaden leaned back against the sand. This was too much! This could not be real!

'_And yet…_' Says a small voice in the back of his head, '_It does make sense… Jesse doesn't seem to have existed before now…_' the brunette shook his head. He didn't want to believe this. He couldn't believe this! Did this mean his best friend wasn't real? At this thought he thought back to the incident that happened before he left. How Jesse's form had flickered and formed into a swirling shape of green light…

"What… what is he?"

"He is human." Aquos replied. "Human, and helpless. And he has no idea."

"He doesn't know what he is?" Jaden asked.

"As far as he is concerned, he has lived his whole life as Jesse Anderson; native to Europe and has been going to North Academy for two years. He has no idea he's only been alive for a few months."

Jaden frowned at this. It just didn't seem fair to Jesse…

"So… his whole life is a lie? What about the Crystal Beasts?" Jaden cried.

"The Crystal Beasts were created to protect the Key. They have known all along." Aquos shook his head as Jaden opened his mouth to protest. "You would have to speak with Maximillion Pegasus for more answers."

Jaden's eyes darkened. "Believe me, I plan to…"

**To Be Continued…**

Kind of a long chapter, but hopefully it explained most of it. Or at least what is ready to be revealed, mwahaha! (I'm kind of on a sugar rush right now…) and addressed some plot holes I myself was bothered by.

Well if you have any questions about it please ask 'cause I might have forgotten something to cover.

I hope you like it!

**Preview for Next Chapter:**

_Jesse stared up at the Blue, no, sorry, WHITE dorm where said blue dorm used to be._

'_Rubi-bi…' Jesse looked across his shoulder at Ruby, whom was also looking up at the new dorm with concern._

"_I know what you mean, pal… I have a bad feeling about this too…"_

_Chazz smirked as he looked out to his new recruits. He had single-handedly whitewashed the entire Obelisk Blue dorm._

"_Ok, everyone! Master Sartorius gave us a mission! Make anyone you can see the light!" The crowd cheered. "And one more thing… keep your ears out for anything being refered to as the "Key"…" He raised his fist and led the cheer._

"_All hail Master Sartorius! All hail the Society of Light!"_


	8. Chapter 7: Back Home?

I'm back! I hope this story's going at a good pace for now…

There's one thing I would like to rant about real quick cause it's been pissing me off.

4Kids is blocking a TON of Yugioh Videos on youtube! D: I've been trying to rewatch the old episodes to get my facts straight but most of them are blocked!

Ok, rant over.

well here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer: Still no own.

**To Protect What's Precious**

**Chapter 7**

Jaden strained as hard as he could as he scaled the cliff on the side of the island. These last few days had easily been the weirdest he had ever had. After he learned the truth about the Key- about Jesse- things had gotten even stranger…

_*Flashback*_

"_Jaden, it is your destiny to protect the Key from the Light of Destruction!"_

_Before Jaden had time to answer, the dolphins in the area began squeaking and chattering in alarm. They looked up to see an odd looking space ship flying overhead and preparing to land._

"_It looks like it found us…" Jaden looked at the Aqua Dolphin in confusion._

"_What found us?" The doors to the spaceship opened and an eerie-looking robot stepped out._

"_This being is an agent of the Light of Destruction. They're searching all over Neo-Space for the Key, while Sartorius searches on Earth." Aquos replied. The alien proceeded towards them, eyes glowing red as they settled on Jaden._

"_Energy signal detected. Contact with the Key confirmed." It activated an odd duel disk on its arm._

_Jaden yelped as Aquos pushed him towards the machine._

"_You must duel him Jaden!"_

"_Wait! But I can't see my cards!" The brunette dug his heels in the ground, but only succeeded in digging up dirt. "I can't duel without my cards!" Aquos paused in his pushing and motioned over to what looked like an old pile of space junk._

"_Look over there…."_

_*End Flashback*_

After that Jaden found a deck he had thought up as a kid in that pile of metal. The Neo-Spacians. He then used them to win in the battle against the machine easily, but it's parting words still left him with an uneasy feeling…

_*Flashback*_

"_I may have lost this match…" The creature stated as its life points dropped to zero. "We will prevail. It shall take hold of the Key… and pour it's power into the Light!"_

_*End Flashback* _

Since the Key was pure energy, it was easy to manipulate and use its power as anyone desired… but since it was human now… Jaden shook his head. The Key wasn't just human, it was his best friend, Jesse. And no matter what, he wouldn't let the Light take him.

But first he had to get back to his friends. The brunette groaned as he managed to pull himself to the top of the cliff.

"Oh yeah! I'm back! You guys miss me?" When he received no response Jaden opened his eyes to see… woods. Nothing but woods. No red dorm. Jaden proceeded to cry.

"DAMN IT!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*(Scene Change)~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Jaden's mine!"

"No! He's mine!"

Jesse sighed as Syrus and Hassleberry were once again at each other's throats. Over Jaden. Everyone had been searching for the brown-eyed slifer for several days now. But Jesse knew better. Winged Kuriboh had left the island with Jaden, though the brunette hadn't been able to see it, and Ruby had conveyed the message to Jesse. Jaden was no longer on the island, so searching for him here was pointless.

He sighed and stood up; the two roommates were giving him a headache. "I'm going for a walk…"

Alexis nodded and proceeded to help Bastian pull the two fighting duelists apart.

Jesse took a deep breath of the fresh air outside the dorms. He always felt better when he was outside rather then closed in. Though it didn't feel so good at the moment. He missed Jaden…

"Jesse." The bluenette looked to his side to see Sapphire Pegasus and Topaz Tiger beside him. The winged horse nuzzled him gently. "What's on your mind?"

The green-eyed teen smiled. He couldn't hide anything from the Crystal Beasts.

"I'm worried about Jaden… and I miss him. But…" He put a hand on the bandages around his throat. "I also want to know why he attacked me… he seemed ok with all of his other friends…" The two spirits glanced at each other in worry.

"It was probably nothing, Jesse. He wasn't thinking clearly at the time."

The blue-haired duelist mulled this over. "I guess you're right…" It didn't sound accurate, but he knew his family would never lie to him.

Throughout his walk, he didn't notice where his legs were taking him, but he eventually found himself at the Obelisk Blue dorm.

"Woah…"

Jesse stared up at the Blue, no, sorry, WHITE dorm where said blue dorm used to be.

'Rubi-bi…' Jesse looked across his shoulder at Ruby, whom was also looking up at the new dorm with concern.

"I know what you mean, pal… I have a bad feeling about this too…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~(Scene Change)*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chazz smirked as he looked out to his new recruits. He had single-handedly whitewashed the entire Obelisk Blue dorm.

"Ok, everyone! Master Sartorius gave us a mission! Make anyone you can see the light!" The crowd cheered. "And one more thing… keep your ears out for anything being referred to as the "Key"…" He raised his fist and led the cheer.

"All hail Master Sartorius! All hail the Society of Light!" And with that, the white-clothed students left the dorm to find other worthy duelists. Or to go to class. Chazz didn't really care which one at the moment. He went to his new room in the White dorm and settled on the king sized bed. Everything was playing out perfectly. Well almost perfectly. If only Jaden hadn't turned tail and left the island, then maybe he could be sharing the large bed with the brunette slifer… like Master Sartorius promised him.

A smile made its way to Chazz's lips. His reward for his services to the Light was going to be Jaden himself… Now he just had to find him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*(Scene Change)*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Jesse was continuing his walk, getting as far away from the Blue-Now-White dorm as possible. Something just didn't feel right about the place now. He didn't go far however, before Ruby began to trill happily from his shoulder. The bluenette looked up to see Winged Kuriboh's spirit in front of them.

"Winged Kuriboh? But that must mean…" His face broke into a smile. "Jaden's back!"

"Kuri!" The winged fuzzball smiled and nodded. "Kuri kuri!"

"Can you take me to him?" Winged Kuriboh nodded once again and flew into the forest, with Jesse not far behind, anxious to see his friend.

**To Be Continued…**

Sorry it's kind of a short chapter, but I've got homework coming out of my ears! I can't wait till winter break =.="

Well please Review and tell me what you think! Any criticizm is welcome too!

Well until next chapter!

**Preview of Next Chapter…**

"_Jaden!"_

_Jaden looked up in surprise at his name, and got a shock as he saw Jesse running towards him._

"_Jaden! I found you!"_

_The brunette's face broke into a large smile as he met with the one he missed the most. "Jesse, I-"_

_SMACK!_

_Jaden fell back on his backside at t he slap he received from the angry bluenette across his face._

"_You jerk! Do you have any idea how worried we've been?"_

_He winced. He deserved that. Chocolate orbs drifted from the flushed blunette's face down to his neck. Where remenants of the earlier attack were visible under the bandages. Jaden felt a pang of guilt. The words from his conversation with Aqua Dolphin came back to him._

"_He has no idea what he is.."_

_Jaden took a deep breath, it was now or never. He couldn't leave his friend in the dark like this._

"_Jesse there's something I need to tell you…"_


	9. Chapter 8: The Rematch

**I'm back! Enjoy the next chapter! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*RubikaChan*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

**To Protect What's Precious**

**Chapter 8**

"Oh man!" Jaden groaned yet again as he found himself at the beach… on the wrong side of the island. Honestly, how many "wrong sides" can there be on an island? It wasn't even that big! Tired, he sat down on a nearby rock and pulled his deck out. So far he had managed to find all of the Neo-Spacians, but he still couldn't see the one card he wanted to see the most. Winged Kuriboh. He really missed that ball of fluff!

With a sigh, the lonely brunette slid down against the rock to wallow in his misery. He really wanted to see another person's face…

"Jaden!"

Speak of the devil….

Jaden looked up in surprise at his name, and got a shock as he saw Jesse running towards him.

"Jaden! I found you!"

The brunette's face broke into a large smile as he met with the one he missed the most. "Jesse, I-"

SMACK!

Jaden fell back on his backside at the slap he received from the angry bluenette across his face.

"You jerk! Do you have any idea how worried we've been?"

He winced. He deserved that. Chocolate orbs drifted from the flushed blunette's face down to his neck. Where remenants of the earlier attack were visible under the bandages. Jaden felt a pang of guilt. The words from his conversation with Aqua Dolphin came back to him.

_"He has no idea what he is.."_

Jaden took a deep breath, it was now or never. He couldn't leave his best friend in the dark like this.

"Jesse there's something I need to tell you…"

"What is it, Jaden?" Jesse asked, most of his anger forgotten at the serious look in the other's eyes.

Jaden was about to tell his clueless friend the horrible secret, when he felt something stop him. How would Jesse react? To find out your whole life has been a lie and that you aren't even human… _'Maybe…'_ Jaden thought, '_maybe it would be kinder if he never found out…_' The brunette shook his head, fighting with himself. '_But he shouldn't live a lie like this!_' '_But what if it freaks him out… and word somehow got back to Sartorius…_' That prospect made Jaden shudder internally. He decided he would think the matter over once they got back to Duel Academy. For now, he would keep his mouth shut.

"Jaden?" Jaden's head snapped up to look at the concerned teen in front of him. "What is it?"

He couldn't tell him.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry I attacked you earlier." It wasn't a lie, he really was sorry! "I don't know what came over me…"

"Oh…" Jesse shifted nervously, hand unconsciously in front of his throat. "You really hurt my neck…"

Jaden shuffled his feet in shame. An awkward silence followed.

"We should probably be heading back soon…"

"Yeah, the others may be getting worried…"

"So what direction is Duel Academy?"

"What? I thought you knew?"

The two duelists looked at each other and sweatdropped, realizing neither knew the way back.

"Crap."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*ToProtectWhatsPrecious*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Oi! Alexis!"

Said blonde turned to see Jim behind her. "Hi, Jim. Is something wrong?"

"Um…" The Australian looked a tad guilty. "Have you seen Jesse anywhere? I haven't seen him since he ran off…"

"Great… he's probably lost again…" Alexis sighed. "Can you go look for him? I have to help Bastian patch Syrus and Hassleberry up. They got into a fight again."

Jim sweatdropped. "Again? Those two blokes won't quit… how bad is it?"

"Want to come in and see?" Alexis asked. Jim nodded and the two went into Chazz's old room in the Slifer Red dorm where the two Ra duelists sat on the couch, each looking worse for wear.

"Crikey… what on earth triggered a fight this time?"

"He started it!" Syrus and Hassleberry both spoke in unison, each pointing at the other.

"Will you two knock it off?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*ToProtectWhatsPrecious*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"So you came all the way into the woods without paying attention to where you were going?" Jaden smacked himself in the forehead. "What on earth possessed you to come in the first place if you don't know how to get back?" He and Jesse were walking side-by-side through the forest (albeit with a small distance between them), both looking for anything that might look familiar and point them in the direction of the main building.

"Hey! I came to find you, dummy!" Jesse snapped back, flustered at his own lack of planning. "If Winged Kuriboh hadn't led me here you'd be all alone!" With that he stuck his tongue out at the other teen. But his comment caught Jaden's attention.

"Winged Kuriboh?"

"Oh…" Jesse looked back over at his friend in concern. "You still can't see your cards?" Jaden shook his head.

"I can see the cards… but not the spirits…" The brunette's eyes clouded in a grief he tried to hide. But Jesse could see it. Jaden started slightly when a pale hand slowly intertwined with his. He looked over to see Jesse's smiling face.

"Don't worry, Jay… I'll do my best to help you see them again!" He gently squeezed Jaden's hand. Jaden felt a small blush grace his cheeks as he smiled back at his friend.

"Thanks, Jess." His brown eyes cleared of grief and shone happily. The two of them continued their walk through the forest. "So how far away do you think we are?"

"No idea. I told you how wonderful my ability to get lost is!"

"Ha ha! I know! I was just teasing!"

"You jerk!"

The two failed to notice a soft brown blur smiling behind them.

"But seriously, I hope it doesn't take too long…"

It hadn't been too long after their conversation that the two duelists heard something behind them.

"Kuri!"

Jaden's head whipped behind him as a small blurry form floated behind them. "Winged Kuriboh? Is that you?" His response was a newly visible bundle of fur tackling into his chest.

"Kuri! Kurikurikuriiiii!" Winged Kuriboh squealed happily as it nuzzled it's master, happy that Jaden could see it again. "Kuriii!"

"I'm happy to see you again too, Kuriboh! I missed you!" Jaden laughed in joy, clutching the duel spirit to his chest, ignoring the fact that the duel spirit was intangible.

"Rubi bi!" Ruby Carbuncle then appeared on Jesse's shoulder, jumping gleefully at Winged Kuriboh, the two spirits played in the dirt happily, celebrating their reunion. Jesse and Jaden chuckled.

"Say, you said Winged Kuriboh got you here, right Jess?" Jaden asked. Jesse nodded.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well maybe he can lead us back!"

Jesse brightened at this idea. "You're right!" He turned to Winged Kuriboh in delight. "Can you do that?"

"Kuri!" It nodded happily.

"Yay!" The two friends hurriedly followed Winged Kuriboh through the woods, hoping it would lead them back to Duel Academy.

"This is still your fault."

"Jesse!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*ToProtectWhatsPrecious*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Meanwhile, the residents of the Slifer Red dorm were having their own problems…

"What do you mean 'Tear the dorm down'?" Hassleberry shouted, glaring at the French meatball that was standing outside of the Slifer Cafeteria door. Bonaparte smirked.

"It's just as I said! Unless Jaden Yuki can defeat Aster Phoenix in a duel, this dorm is torn down!"

"But that's not fair!" Jim protested. "Jaden's not even here!" Bonaparte laughed.

"Well then it looks like he loses by forfeit!"

"Wait!" Everyone turned to see Alexis make her way to the front of the group. "I'll duel in Jaden's place!"

Bonaparte blanched. "What? But you're an Obelisk!"

"Maybe so, but my heart belongs to the Red Dorm, and I won't let you tear it down!" Alexis stated firmly, decision made.

"Fine." Bonaparte snapped. "But your opponent is still Aster Phoenix, and the stakes still stand! You lose, and the Red Dorm is demolished!" And with that, the Vice-Chancellor scurried off as fast as his feet would carry him.

"You sure about this, Lex?" Jim asked. "You ever duel a pro before?"

"Nope."

The gang sweatdropped.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*ToProtectWhatsPrecious*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Aster was walking towards the main building, on his way to his next duel. He thought a duel for the Red Dorm was a waste of time, but Sartorius had insisted. And he trusted his manager.

"Hey, Aster."

Aster paused, hearing his name, and turned around to see a certain black-haired Slifer in his recent white garb.

"Chazz. What do you want?" Aster snapped. He wasn't in the best of moods, and seeing the whitewashed teen wasn't helping. He felt even more annoyed when Chazz simply laughed.

"Oh, come on. You don't need to be secretive with me… after all; I'm the head member of Sartorius's society!" This caught Aster's attention.

"Sartorius?"

"Yup." Chazz nodded. "Didn't you know? Well in any case, if you join the Society of Light, you can lead it at my side. Of course, I'd still be in a higher position then you." Aster rolled his eyes.

"Um, no thank you, Chazz." And with that, he left the black-haired duelist and proceeded into the building. "What a weirdo…" Aster gave the incident less than a moment's thought as he entered the arena. "Well, let's get this over with." In the stands sat that South Academy champion Jim Cook, and some of Jaden's friends. His opponent, that Rhodes girl, glared at him from across the dueling field.

"Ready to lose, Aster?"

The pro duelist chuckled at her. "Please, as if you could beat me. At least make sure it isn't too boring."

"Du-!"

But before the duel could start, a familiar voice rang through the stadium.

"Hey! Don't start the duel without me!"

Everyone turned in shock to see a dirt-and-leaf-covered Jaden Yuki run into the arena, dragging along a rather ragged-looking Jesse behind him.

"Jaden! You're back!" Syrus cried happily, ecstatic that his friend was back.

"Where ya been, Sarge?" Hassleberry asked, pushing Syrus out of the way. He paused when he noticed that Jaden and Jesse's hands were still intertwined as the two winded students leaned against the doorframe for support. "So, um… you found Jesse on your way in?"

Jaden snickered slightly. "No, actually he found me!" He and Jesse glanced at each other and shared a laugh at their mini-adventure in the woods. Syrus and Hassleberry both felt a pang of jealousy at the action. Jaden turned his attention to Alexis.

"Mind if I step in, Alexis? I need to duel him."

Alexis smiled and handed her duel disk over to Jaden. "Glad to have you back! So where have you been?" Jaden just smiled and jumped up onto the dueling platform to face off against Aster.

"Let's go, Aster!" He turned to Jesse. "Hey, Jess? Why don't you go sit with the others, ok?" He smiled. "Cheer me on?"

Jesse smiled back. "Ok, then. But you better kick this jerk's butt!" Missing the irked expression on Aster's face, the bluenette moved to sit by Jim. "Howdy, Jim!"

Jaden turned back to Aster. "Looks like it's time for our rematch! And this time, I'll make sure you never get your hands on what you're looking for!"

Aster's eyes widened and a smile slid onto his lips. '_Looks like he finally gets what he has…_' "Well if you're so confident then why don't we raise the stakes? If I win, that power source gets handed over to me right here and now! And if you win, I'll leave it with you. How's that sound?"

Jaden nodded. "Fine." '_I won't let him get his hands on Jesse…_'

'_That power source is all mine…_'

"Duel!"

**To Be Continued…**

The rematch next chapter! Tell me what you think?

Till next time!

**Preview for Next chapter…**

"_You kick his butt, Jay!" Jesse cheered. Aster looked over at the bluenette._

"_Hey, Jesse… How 'bout if I win, you cheer for me?" He smirked. "Whaddya say?" But before the European could answer, Jaden spoke up venomously._

"_Leave him out of this Aster!" Everyone was silent for a moment. No one had ever heard Jaden snap like that towards anyone._

'That's odd…_' Aster contemplated. '_He doesn't seem the type to speak out harshly like that… Wait…_' the pro duelist's eyes widened as he noticed something. '_Something new in Jaden's life that he guards viciously… could the key be…_'_


	10. Chapter 9: Clashing Heroes

Ok, I'm a little late on this one, But I hope it's satisfying!

Disclaimer: I don't own

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Rubika-Chan~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

**To Protect What's Precious**

**Chapter 9**

"I'll go first!" Aster said, as he drew. "I'll summon my Diamond Dude in attack mode!" The diamond encrusted hero appeared on the field, glaring at its master's opponent. "Don't forget the stakes here, Jaden. The old stakes still stand as well… You lose, and the Red dorm is destroyed. Not to mention the Key belongs to me! Got that?" Jaden glared back at the pro duelist.

"I got it. But I won't lose!" 'There's too much at stake… not the dorm, but Jesse… he was entrusted to me, and I won't let him down!' "My turn!" Jaden drew his card. "Ok! Time to meet my new heroes! I summon Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin!" Aqua Dolphin appeared on the field at Jaden's side, and smiled at him.

His friends gaped. They hadn't seen that monster in Jaden's deck before, and most of them knew all the cards in Jaden's deck, having watched him duel countless times.

"When did you get him, Jay?" Syrus called. Jaden and Jesse shared a grin.

"Long story, Sy! I'll tell you later!" The two shared an inside grin once again. Syrus felt strong jealousy seep into his chest once again. Why did Jesse know Jaden's new deck and he didn't? Why had Jesse found Jaden and been with him this whole time and he hadn't? He had been searching for Jaden longer! The jealous Ra duelist was shaken from his internal rant by Alexis.

"You ok, Syrus?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine, Alexis…" The blonde nodded in understanding. Truth was, she had a crush on Jaden too. But it was pretty obvious Jaden had eyes for only one person now… Though she wasn't sure if Jaden himself had realized it yet…

The duel continued for several more minutes before Jaden was able to summon another new monster… Though he learned a major drawback of his new deck… His neo-spacians had the advantage of being able to fuse without polymerization, but the drawback was they were only able to stay for one turn, thus leaving Jaden wide open the turn after. Due to this he had gotten hit pretty hard during Aster's last turn, leaving him with hardly any life points left! Fortunately his next creature could change all that.

"I summon Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird!" A large humanoid hummingbird (though it looked more like a woodpecker) formed on the field. The bird looked back at the Slifer duelist and winked.

'Leave it to me, Jaden…' It spoke. Though only Jaden and Jesse could hear it. Jaden glanced back at Jesse and smiled, remembering when they had met the rest of his Neo-Spacian monsters across the island.

_*Flashback*_

"_You sure this is the right way, Jay?" Jesse whined, sinking to the ground in exhaustion. The two were in the thick of the woods on the island. And though Jesse enjoyed the woods, this was getting ridiculous!_

"_No idea. But you never know" Jaden's grin was infectious and the bluenette found himself grinning along too despite the situation._

"_You're right!" The two laughed, both exhausted to the point of being slap-happy. "Why don't we take a rest. How's that sound?" Jesse nodded in agreement and they each flopped onto the grassy forest floor. Their nap was short-lived however, when Jaden noticed a small green light beneath his eyelids._

'_**Jesse? Is that you?**__' The brunette opened his eyes to see a small green ball of light in front of him. "Jesse!" Oh no! did he somehow go back to the mass of energy he had been before?_

"_What is it, Jaden?"_

_Oh. Jaden looked over and saw Jesse, human and fine, sitting up. He felt a little embarrassed. Fortunately Jesse's attention was diverted to the glowing green sphere in front of them._

"_I wonder what that is…."_

'_**Follow me…**__' Jaden and Jesse jumped as a voice spoke from the spirit orb. It wavered in front of them for a few seconds and then flew off deeper into the woods. The two duelists looked at each other, and ran off after the green orb. After a short run, they found themselves in a clearing on a rather windy part of the island._

"_Where are we?" Jesse asked. Jaden shook his head._

"_Dunno. Never been on this part of the island before…." A sudden flash of green light caught their attention as a new Neo-Spacian appeared before them. The large humanoid bird looked down to them._

"_Jaden… I am a Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird… I'm glad I found you."_

"_A what?" Jesse asked. Jaden sweatdropped._

"_I forgot to tell you about that…" Jaden told Jesse what had happened to him since he disappeared. About Neo-Space and the Society of Light… he didn't mention the Key however. That was something Jesse didn't need to know at the moment. He noticed Air Hummingbird looking past him at Jesse._

"_Ah! I see you are already ahead and have the K-." Jaden made frantic waving motions with his arms behind Jesse's back, trying to silently tell the alien birdman to SHUT UP. Fortunately Air Hummingbird got the message. "Um, a kind friend. Because friends are always important when fighting the forces of evil!" It chuckled nervously while Jesse shot a suspicious look over to Jaden. "In any case, I am here to help you." With that, the neo-spacian transformed back into the small green orb and disappeared into Jaden's deck._

"_Well." Jesse stated. "That was weird."_

_*End Flashback*_

After that, the two went around the island, finding the rest of the neo-spacians (and Jaden had been able to stop each one from mentioning the key, thank you very much) and found their way back to Duel Academy just in time!

"Time to meet a new neo-spacian, Aster!" Jaden cried. "Air hummingbird gives me 500 life points for each card in your hand!" With that, Jaden's life points recovered to a more stable amount. Aster frowned. Jaden was really beginning to grate on his nerves.

"You kick his butt, Jay!" Jesse cheered. Aster looked over at the bluenette.

"Hey, Jesse… How 'bout if I win, you cheer for me?" He smirked. "Whaddya say?" But before the European could answer, Jaden spoke up venomously.

"Leave him out of this Aster!" He snarled. Everyone was silent for a moment. No one had ever heard Jaden snap like that towards anyone.

_'That's odd…_' Aster contemplated. _'He doesn't seem the type to speak out harshly like that… Wait…_' the pro duelist's eyes widened as he noticed something. _'Something new in Jaden's life that he guards viciously… could the key be…_' He shook his head. '_Is Jesse the Key?_ _But if the Key's human… I can't just take it and…' _The silver-haired teen glanced down at his deck, the last thing he had of his father's. '_Sartorius said the Key's power could be exploited to bring my dad back to be… But… would he want to be brought back at the cost of another human being?' _The answer came easily. "No…" '_My destiny heroes were made for justice… and what I've been doing recently has been opposite of that… I'm sorry, Dad…'_ Aster raised his head to see the determined brunette in front of him.

"Hey, Aster? What's the hold up? It's your move!"

Aster smiled. It was about time he dueled for fun. "You're on!"

The duel was neck-to-neck for a while, but in the end Jaden pulled through and achieved a victory. Aster fell to his knees as his life points hit zero. "You beat me, Jaden…"

Jaden walked over to the defeated pro, a grin on his face. "That was some duel, Aster! But I won, so keep your promise and stay away from the Key!"

Aster nodded and smiled. "Don't worry, Jaden. I'm a man of my word." He rose to his feet. "Say… Can I talk to you in private later?"

"Huh?" Jaden blinked in confusion. "Later? Why not now?" Aster shook his head.

"I'd like to talk to you alone. And I have a feeling your friends want to see you right now…"

"Jaden!" The slifer looked around to see all of his friends rushing towards him. One face stood out among the group. A teal-haired face with sparkling green eyes. Jesse. He was safe.

"Hey guys! I won!" Jaden ran to his friends, meeting in a big group hug.

"I knew you could do it, Jay!"

"Way to duel, Sarge!"

"Good job!"

Amidst the mini-celebration among the friends, Aster snuck out of the duel arena and headed down to the docks. Not too long after, Jaden followed after him.

"So what's up, Aster?" Jaden asked. The silver-haired teen turned to face the other.

"Jesse's the Key, isn't he?"

Jaden's eyes widened. "H… How did you…" Aster chuckled.

"You make it too easy, Jaden… You guard Jesse too viciously. It's pretty obvious if you know what to look for." Aster held up his hand as Jaden opened his mouth to protest. "Don't worry. Even if I had won, I wouldn't dream of hurting another human being for my own selfish gain. Sartorius told me the Key was an object. Which means he doesn't know either."

Jaden smiled. This was good. As long as Sartorius believed the Key was just an object, Jesse was safe.

"That's good."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ToProtectWhat'sPrecious~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sartorius frowned, looking over his Tarot cards again. "Jaden was destined to lose… looks like he defied Destiny again…" His amethyst eyes flashed angrily. "Looks like if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself…" The purple-haired man stood up. "Time for me to get the Key myself… and get Jaden out of my way!"

He glanced out the window of his plane. He could see Duel Academy in the distance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`Rubika-Chan~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**To Be Continued…**

Ok! Cutting to the good stuff again! Hehe I hope you liked it. Tell me what you think? And as always, any critique is welcome!

Until next time!

_Preview for next chapter…_

_Jesse sighed happily as he took his stroll through the woods. He was careful to keep Duel Academy in sight this time though! The last few days had been surprisingly frustrating. Not only was that new Society gaining members faster than rabbits multiply, but Jaden was driving him crazy! He wouldn't leave him alone! Wherever Jesse went, Jaden followed. The slifer was also on edge lately. Since the day he defeated Aster Phoenix._

_He shook his head. He had managed to lose Jaden for the moment by saying he was going to use the bathroom. Thank the gods for the Slifer Dorm's outhouse! His thoughts were interrupted when he saw someone in the path. Jesse felt a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach._

'_That's odd… most students don't come out here…' Jesse thought. "Excuse me," He asked, walking up to the stranger. "Can I help you?" The purple-haired stranger turned around to look at Jesse, and said teen felt a shiver run down his spine as eerie violet eyes locked with his. Pale lips drew into a smirk, showing slightly pointed teeth._

"_Why I believe you can…"_


	11. Chapter 10: A New Ally

Sorry for the long wait! Finals really took a lot out of me… But it is finally winter break! Now I will have much more time to write!

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own

**To Protect What's Precious**

**Chapter 10**

"It's pretty amazing…"

Jaden looked across his dorm room to Aster, who was standing on the opposite side. Fortunately the rest of his roommates were out at the moment, so he and Aster could talk in private. The subject? The Key. Otherwise known as Jesse. "What part is amazing?"

"That an object, even if it is a powerful one, could be transformed and given life… and Jesse has no idea?"

"Not a clue…" Jaden glanced out the room's window. Just to make sure the teen they were discussing didn't happen to be outside.

"Are you going to tell him?"

"I don't know…" Jaden shook his head. "I don't like keeping secrets, but if he finds out, he'll freak! And that's the last thing we need… I also heard a few members of that Society of Light group say that 'Sartorius' guy is telling them to look for it…" Aster nodded.

"At least that means Sartorius still believes he's looking for an object, like I did. So Jesse should be safe." The pro duelist paused. Realizing something. "Jaden… have you told your other friends about this? Truesdale, Hassleberry, and everyone else?"

The brunette shook his head again. "I don't know if I should or not… They might be able to help…"

"But what if they join the Society of Light like Chazz did? They would tell Sartorius that Jesse is the Key…" Aster added.

Jaden mulled this over. "I trust my friends. But Jesse is really important to me…"

"You mean because he's the Key?" Aster held back a smirk as Jaden flushed and stuttered.

"U-um yeah, of course! And cause he's one of my friends too! That's why! Of course that's why!"

He was just too cute.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*ToProtectWhatsPrecious*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jesse sighed happily as he took his stroll through the woods. He was careful to keep Duel Academy in sight this time though! The last few days had been surprisingly frustrating. Not only was that new Society gaining members faster than rabbits multiply, but Jaden was driving him crazy! He wouldn't leave him alone! Wherever Jesse went, Jaden followed. The slifer was also on edge lately. Since the day he defeated Aster Phoenix.

He shook his head. He had managed to lose Jaden for the moment by saying he was going to use the bathroom. Thank the gods for the Slifer Dorm's outhouse! His thoughts were interrupted when he saw someone in the path. Jesse felt a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

'That's odd… most students don't come out here…' Jesse thought. "Excuse me," He asked, walking up to the stranger. "Can I help you?" The purple-haired stranger turned around to look at Jesse, and said teen felt a shiver run down his spine as eerie violet eyes locked with his. Pale lips drew into a smirk, showing slightly pointed teeth.

"Why I believe you can…" He looked Jesse over, his smirk never fading. "Do you by any chance know someone named Jaden Yuki?"

"Jaden?" Jesse blinked. This guy was… odd. "Yeah, I know him… why?" The man smirked wider.

"My name is Sartorius… I've been looking for special duelists on this island recently…" The name struck a chord in Jesse's memory. He recalled several of the snobby Society members saying that name… usually with the "Master" prefix.

"You're the guy that brainwashed Chazz!" Jesse accused. Sartorius chuckled.

"Brainwash is such an ugly word. I prefer to make them see the Light!" His eyes narrowed. Another one of Jaden's friends would be a valuable ally on his side… though since this boy was already suspicious of him, he figured it would be harder than the last one. His thoughts were confirmed when the blue-haired boy glared at him.

"Well either way put him back to the way he was!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that…" Sartorius said smoothly "You see, he joined my society on his own free will, and only he can decide to leave or not…" Not that Chazz had much free will anymore. It was slowly being drained away, and out of all the Society members. But that part didn't need to be known by anyone other than him.

"Liar!" Jesse snapped. He was about to continue demanding Chazz's release from the Society of Light, but he heard a very familiar, and frantic voice.

"Jesse! Jesse where are you?"

Jesse cringed, hearing Jaden's screech. Gods! Can't he be on his own for ONE FREAKING MINUTE? He sighed. "I'll deal with you later!" He snarled and ran off to prevent Jaden from having an aneurysm.

Sartorius simply chuckled as he watched the younger teen run off. Time to go meet his disciples…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*ToProtectWhatsPrecious*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chazz cackled as his latest opponent's life points dropped to zero. The entire Blue Dorm was under the rule of the Society of Light, so he had progressed to having Ra Yellow's be "accepted". Besides, the more duelists they gathered, the more likely it was for at least one of them to take Jaden down… and the more likely it was for someone to learn something about the Key…

"Time for you boys to see the Light!"

"That's enough, Chazz!"

The white-washed Princeton looked over his shoulder in surprise to see Alexis standing behind him, a duel disk armed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*ToProtectWhatsPrecious*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Jesse!" Jaden called. "Jesse!" He was frantic. Where could that damn transfer student be? The island was crawling with Society of Light students, and there was no way he was letting Jesse fall into their hands! Behind him, Aster let out a sigh.

"Jaden, relax. Jesse's a big boy, he can take care of himself."

"But all those Society freaks are looking for him!"

"They're looking for the Key, not Jesse."

"But Jesse is the Key!"

Aster sighed… "Jaden… they don't know he is the Key. All they know is he's a transfer student from North Academy. Now will you please not say it so loudly? If one of them does find out, Jesse's screwed!"

Jaden calmed down slightly, realizing Aster was right. But it didn't mean he wasn't still worried.

"Jaden!"

That sure brightened his day. He turned to see Jesse running out of the woods towards him. He ran to meet him and tried to pull the North Academy champion into a hug… but wound up with Jesse attacking him instead.

"What the hell is your problem, Jaden! I don't need to be babysat!" Jesse snapped, attacking Jaden with a double-noogie attack.

"Owowowowowowowowow! Jess! Stop!"

Aster sighed. The fate of the world rested with those two? "We're totally screwed…"

**To Be Continued…**

Sorry for the kind of short chapter… ^-^" Blame writer's block lol!

But I will update faster than last time!

**Preview of Next Chapter…**

"_So, Alexis…" Chazz smirked, catching sight of the Obelisk girl approaching him. "Did you finally come to your senses to join the Society of Light?"_

_The blonde glared at him. "I've come here to knock you back to your senses, Chazz!" She activated her Duel Disk. "Time to take you down and stop this Society!"_

_Chazz chuckled. "Wrong. Time for you to see the Light!" He activated his own disk, his Society followers backed off, making a ring around the two duelists._

"_Duel!"_

_~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*(Scene)*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~_

"_Jaden."_

_Said brunette looked up to see Jim, Syrus, and Hassleberry all standing in front of him._

"_What's up, guys?" The three sat down._

"_We heard from Chazz what the Society of Light is looking for… something called a Key…" Syrus stated, nervously._

"_And we believe you know what it is, Jaden." Jim glared down at Jaden crossly. "We're your friends Jaden, and we're here to fight this cult with you, but you can't keep secrets from us! You know something."_

_Jaden hung his head at Jim's scolding. The Aussie was right, he should have told his friends sooner. "You're right Jim…" He sighed, glancing out the window. "Ok…"_

"_There's something you need to know about Jesse…"_


	12. Chapter 11: Realization

_Note: I am SO sorry that took me so long! I wish I had a better excuse, but sadly I don't. Laziness and homework makes for slow updating. But rest assured, I have not given up on any of my fics!_

_Once again, I apologize for the *ridiculous* amount of time it took to update. I hope you're satisfied with the next chapter!_

_(Oh, and to one reviewer who asked, yes, I got the basic idea for the Key from Buffy. However, it's purpose, way to be used, and whatnot, have all been changed.)_

_Disclaimer: Even after all this time, I still do not own GX._

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*(RubikaChan)*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

**To Protect What's Precious**

_**Chapter 11**_

She was ready. More than ready. Alexis had to stop Chazz; she couldn't stand seeing the black-clad Slifer this way! Granted he wasn't fawning after her constantly, which was nice, but she couldn't help but miss the hot-headed, quick-tempered, I-really-do-care-but-believe-I'm-too-macho-to-show-it Chazz. Not this new brainwashed one. Her resolve hardened as the once-Blue dorm came into view. Chazz was trouncing yet another student! She knew he was good, but she had defeated him before, and she would do it again!

She had to.

"So, Alexis…" Chazz smirked, catching sight of the Obelisk girl approaching him. "Did you finally come to your senses to join the Society of Light?"

The blonde glared at him. "I've come here to knock you back to your senses, Chazz!" She activated her Duel Disk. "Time to take you down and stop this Society!"

Chazz chuckled. "Wrong. Time for you to see the Light!" He activated his own disk, his Society followers backed off, making a ring around the two duelists.

"Duel!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*(ToProtectWhatsPrecious)*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jaden was trudging back to the Slifer dorm after Jesse, still rubbing both sides of his head. Damn, Jesse had some sharp little fists… he made a mental note to avoid all double-noogies from the bluenette from now on.

"Damn, Jesse! That hurt!" He whined.

"Well you deserved it!" Jesse huffed. Obviously his anger with the brunette had not yet been forgotten. "Just because I'm not right next to you, doesn't mean I can't take care of myself!"

Jaden groaned. If Jesse only knew the real reason he wanted him close by at all times… but he couldn't know… not now… Aster had made a good point. If Jesse himself didn't know what he was, it would be that much harder for anyone else to find out what he was. Also, he wasn't sure how the European would react… and after the earlier incident he wasn't sure he wanted to know… But babysitting him looked like it was going to become a bit of a chore…

"What were you doing in the woods anyways?"

Jesse paused at this question, debating with himself whether or not he should tell Jaden about the man calling himself Sartorius in the woods… but he decided against it. "Just going for a walk." Well it was partially true. He had been on a walk before he bumped into that brainwashing psycho. But he was pretty sure that Jaden would freak out if he told him, and probably prevent Jesse from going anywhere alone again. And with most of the Slifer dorm wrapped around his finger (unbeknownst to Jaden) that wasn't a hard feat. Besides, what harm could one little secret do?

Jaden studied his friend. Fortunately for him, Jesse was one of the WORST liars he had EVER met. And he could tell the bluenette was hiding something from him. But the aching in his head convinced him to let it slide for now. He did not want to instigate another noogie-attack. "Alright… let's go inside." Proceeding into the cafeteria, Jaden blinked when he saw nearly all of his friends sitting in the cafeteria. Consisting of Syrus, Hassleberry (both of whom were NOT fighting for once), Jim, and Bastion. "What's going on, guys?" The nervous looks on their faces were not particularly convincing that all was well.

"Jaden… did you see Alexis while you were out?" Syrus asked, his fists clenching at the bottom of his uniform jacket as he spoke.

"Alexis?" Jaden thought back. "No I didn't." He had been too worried about Jesse. "Why?"

"We can't find her anywhere." Jim spoke up. "She's not in the Slifer dorm or the girl's dorm."

"Well maybe she went for a walk or is seeing a teacher for some reason." Jaden scratched his head, clueless. "What's the big deal? Alexis can hold her own." He decided to ignore the venomous glare he was receiving from a certain blue-haired European at that point.

"It's the new white dorm and their society." Bastion explained. Though why Jaden didn't figure it out on his own was beyond him. "Alexis is one of the few Obelisk students who aren't in the Society of Light. And judging on their target pattern, they are likely to go after her." The Ra student couldn't help but feel an odd sensation in the pit of his stomach as he explained. '_If the society is after the best duelists… why haven't they targeted me yet_?' He pushed this thought from his head. Now wasn't the time, they had to find Alexis.

Realization dawned on Jaden's face. He remembered how worried the blonde Obelisk had been about Chazz. Her face always hardened whenever the subject came up. Jaden may not have been the most observant person in the world, but he had known Alexis long enough to know when she was uneasy. "I think I know where she is…"

"Then bring me to her." The group looked around and saw Atticus Rhodes making his way towards them. "I'm worried too."

"Where have you been?"

"Um…" Atticus smiled sheepishly. "I've been at the lighthouse… thinking…"

"More like sulking…" Bastion muttered under his breath. The elder Rhode's… attachment… to the alumni Zane Truesdale was hard to miss.

The group made their way towards the Blue-turned-White Dorm.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*(ToProtectWhatsPrecious)*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Alexis had never felt more unnerved in her life. Well, ok, that was a lie. She had never felt more unnerved in her life that did NOT have to do with Atticus… just being Atticus. But she had gotten used to the humiliations he brought her by now.

She glared across the dueling field at her smirking opponent. Since the beginning of the duel, Chazz had been predicting her every move and staying one step ahead. And what was worse is he was showing her his hand! She knew every card he played, yet she was the one losing. And getting quite frazzled at that.

"Just give up, Alexis…" Chazz coaxed, face full of confidence. "I can already see your defeat. You belong with us, with the Society of Light!" His words sunk into Alexis' stunned mind, chipping away at her now-fragile confidence.

'_Maybe… maybe he's right…_' Alexis couldn't help but think. '_Maybe if I join the Society I can finally become a great duelist… it's obviously helped Chazz…_'

"Alexis!"

Alexis snapped out of her daze, looking behind her to see her friends come in, followed by her brother. "Atticus! What are you doing here?" The brunette obelisk looked sheepishly over to his sister.

"Sorry I haven't been around much, Sissy… but don't let this jerk push you around! You're stronger then him, I know it!"

"Yeah!" Syrus agreed.

"Go Alexis!" Cheered Jaden and Jesse; Alexis felt a smile grace her lips at these words. But it was soon wiped clean as Chazz made the final move.

Her life points hit zero. She had lost.

"Alexis…" Jaden breathed. The group of students grew silent. Was she…?

Chazz made his was over to Alexis, a smug grin on his face. "Are you ready to see the Light, Alexis?" The female duelist looked up at him, eyes void of her earlier fire.

"Yes…"

"Alexis, don't join them!" Jaden cried. He didn't want to lose another friend to this crazy society.

Chazz looked behind his defeated opponent to the brunette Slifer behind her. He smirked. "Well, look who's back." He walked past Alexis, who was slowly getting to her feet, and stood in front of Jaden, eyes traveling up the red-clothed body as he did. It had been too long since he had seen it, and he wasn't planning on losing him again. Or losing to him. He was quite keen on the idea of trouncing the slacker right here and now, as Jaden shifted into an aggressive stance, hand heading for his deck. But that would have to wait. He had more important business to discuss. "As much as I'd love to make you see the Light right now, Jaden, I think it's about time that the Society leader, that is to say- me; had a little chat with you…"

Jaden glared at the white-washed Chazz, unconsciously pushing Jesse slightly behind him. Fortunately this act went unnoticed as both Syrus and Hassleberry had moved in front of him. They had seen the way Chazz had been looking at their roommate (and idol) and neither was pleased.

"The Sarge doesn't have to talk with the likes of you!" Hassleberry snarled, his eyes shifting to reptile-like slits for a split second. "Now get lost!"

"Jaden." Chazz sighed. "Keep your pet baboon here on a leash why don't you?"

"What did you want to talk about, Chazz?" Jaden asked, eyes hard. He didn't appreciate the insult thrown at Hassleberry, but he was more concerned with what the Society wanted. He knew what they wanted, but maybe he could get a little more information interrogating the brainwashed Princeton.

"The Key." Well, one aspect of Chazz remained the same. Blunt and to the point. "I know you have it, and the Society wants it!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Chazz. But you're not getting your hands on it. None of you society members will and I'll make sure of it!" He could feel the questioning stares of his friends behind him. He knew he would have to think something up later, but he couldn't deal with that right now. His brown eyes narrowed as Chazz chuckled, unfazed by his declaration.

"Well now we know for a fact you know where it is… looks like that gives us another reason to recruit you… you'll hand it over in due time, I promise." With that, Chazz motioned to the surrounding society members and they all departed inside the White dorm. Alexis following in suit.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*(ToProtectWhatsPrecious)*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The walk back to the Red dorm was a tense one. No one felt like talking, but Jaden could feel that a long discussion was in order. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Jesse. He could not be here during the meeting. He had to find a way to get the bluenette out of the way… his stomach growled, which provided him with an excuse.

"You hungry Jay?" Syrus asked, timidly breaking the silence.

"I'm starving!" Hassleberry groaned, as his own stomach rumbled as well.

"I was asking Jaden, Hassleberry!"

"Jesse…" Jaden spoke, turning to the North student. "Would you and Atticus mind grabbing some sandwiches from the cafeteria for us?"

Jesse blinked "….Sure, Jay!" He smiled, walking in the other direction with Atticus in tow. At least now there was someone to watch him. And it got him out of the way. For now.

Jaden sighed, flopping onto one of the couches in Chazz's unoccupied suite. Even though the ex-Slifer wasn't here, they had continued to use his spacious room as a kind of "headquarters" as Hassleberry had put it.

"Jaden."

Said brunette looked up to see Jim, Syrus, Bastion, and Hassleberry all standing in front of him.

"What's up, guys?" The four sat down.

"We heard what Chazz said… that the Society of Light is looking for… something called a Key…" Syrus stated, nervously.

"And we believe you know what it is, Jaden." Jim glared down at Jaden crossly. "We're your friends Jaden, and we're here to fight this cult with you, but you can't keep secrets from us! You know something."

Jaden hung his head at Jim's scolding. The Aussie was right; he should have told his friends sooner. "You're right Jim…" He sighed, glancing out the window. "Ok…"

"There's something you need to know about Jesse…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*(ToProtectWhatsPrecious)*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Ah-Choo!"

Jesse sniffled a bit and wiped his nose. That had come out of nowhere.

"You ok?" Atticus asked, fishing through the wrapped sandwiches (he was hoping he picked out some edible ones…) He chuckled as his shorter companion nodded. "Maybe someone's talking about you!"

Jesse rolled his eyes and picked out another unlabeled sandwich, counting the amount that they had to make sure they had enough. He couldn't shake the feeling that Atticus was right though…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*(ToProtectWhatsPrecious)*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The room was silent, everyone staring at Jaden as he finished sharing what he knew with them.

"So Jesse…" Syrus began, unsure how to take this all in.

"He isn't human." Jaden finished. "Not completely anyways. He's the Key, what the Society of Light is looking for."

"Crikey." Jim muttered. "From what he had heard before, he had pictured the Key being some ancient artifact, like a necklace or other miscelaneus items he had found before. But to think of it as a human now… it was rather hard… he wondered if he'd be able to look at the European the same way again.

He wasn't the only one with these thoughts.

"This is quite fascinating," Bastion said, ever the scientist "to think that an inanimate object could be given life like this. And to be so convincing too…" He had been taking notes during the whole conversation, so he could think this over once he returned to his own dorm.

"It actually explains a lot." Jim added. "Why Jess wasn't on the boat when the rest of us transfers arrived. Why we hadn't heard of him or his deck before now. And why Jaden's been so protective over him lately."

Jaden blushed slightly at that comment. He coughed into his hand slightly. "In any case, as far as I know, the Society of Light doesn't know that the Key is human. So Jess is safe for now, but we need to make sure it stays that way."

"So what's our plan of attack?" Hassleberry asked. He had been fairly quiet throughout the whole discussion. The dino duelist wasn't sure he could wrap his mind around the concept of Jesse not being real… but if it was a protection mission; that, he could do.

"For now we just need to keep the society away from Jesse. Start focusing on how to reverse whatever brainwashing was performed on them and hopefully we will be able to get the school back to normal." Bastion suggested. Jaden was glad he had someone as smart as him in on this as well. "And we should also keep an eye on Jesse to make sure nothing happens to tip off the Society. Especially Chazz. As much of a spazz as he is, he can be quite observant when he wants to." He was remembering Chazz's short time as a "detective" during the Shadow Riders incident last year.

The room was silent for a few minutes. The shock finally beginning to fade.

"So he has no idea?" Bastion questioned. He seemed the most intrigued by this turn of events. Jaden shook his head.

"Not a clue."

He was very grateful Jesse wasn't near to listen in.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*(ToProtectWhatsPrecious)*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jesse came to the door, a stack of sandwiches in his hands, and was about to open the door, when a part of the inside conversation caught his attention.

"And he has no idea?" Huh? He pressed his ear to the door, listening curiously. What were they talking about that was so important they couldn't have waited for him and Atticus to get back with the sandwiches?

"Not a clue." He tried to listen harder. Jaden sounded very serious. But before he could, he heard Atticus catch up behind him, balancing his own mound of sandwiches in his hands. Straightening up, Jesse pulled the door open with his foot and came inside.

The room fell silent, with everyone staring at him. What was up with them? He wasn't positive, but he could of sworn he saw Bastion slip a notebook or something out of sight as soon as he walked in the door…. He must have been seeing things.

"Hey guys! I think we got enough sandwiches for a small army, so you better eat them all!" He and Atticus dumped the sandwiches into the center of the room as the group came out of their surprised stupor and dug into the food. Jesse waited for a few minutes, hoping they would continue their conversation. When no one did, he spoke up, curiously. "So… what were you guys talking about in here?"

Several of them glanced at each other, as though sharing secrets with their eyes.

"Nothing." Jaden said, fighting for a change in subject as he bit into a sandwich. "Ugh! Liver and onions!"

"I'll trade you, Jay!" Syrus piped up. "I got sardines." The two swapped sandwiches, Syrus happily nibbling on his now.

Jesse looked at his own sandwich. "I'll take the sardines off your hands. I got some kind of chicken."

"You sure?"

"Yeah! I like dried fish!"

"Alright then!" Jaden and Jesse also swapped sandwiches. Everyone else was getting into it and soon the only conversation in the room was about the food.

"Yuck! Sourcrout!"

"Hey! I think I got the golden eggwich!... nope, it's just a regular egg."

"Better than me, I got tofu!"

"Ooh, I'll take that one!"

Jesse smiled as he slurped one of the sardines into his mouth. He was quite happy to have so many friends now. But… what had they been talking about before? He couldn't help but feel a bit snubbed from before. He felt a bit left out and hurt that they felt they couldn't tell him. Unless…

'_They weren't… talking about me, where they_?' He shook his head free from those thoughts. '_Nah! They're my friends! They wouldn't hide anything like that from me…. Right?_'

**To Be Continued…**

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*(RubikaChan)*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

Ah, feels good to be writing again! Hopefully it won't take me as long as last time to update. *sweatdrop* I'm pretty sure it wouldn't though, now that I've gotten back into the swing of things!

Hope you liked the chapter!

**Preview of next Chapter:**

_Jesse sighed as Syrus darted out of sight for the fiftieth time that week. Honestly, why was everyone treating him so differently now? The only person who still treated him the same was Atticus, whom he didn't even know all that well. Syrus had been ducking around him like he was afraid of him, Bastion had been looking at him strangely, and Jim was becoming as overbearing as Jaden lately!_

_And speaking of Jaden… the brunette had grown kind of distant from Jesse as of late. Even though he followed him almost everywhere, the European still felt cut off from the rest. What was going on?_

_~*~*~*~*~*~*~*(Meanwhile)*~*~*~*~*~*~*~_

_Aster leaned against the railing of his yacht, looking up into the stars. Looking for constellations his father had shown him when he was younger. The familiar ache of loss settled in his stomach._

"_Aster…"_

_The silver-haired teen jumped at the painfully familiar voice and spun around to see Sartorius standing behind him._

"_S-Sartorius…" Aster mentally slapped himself for stuttering like that. "What do you want?" He asked harshly._

"_Don't be so hostile, Aster." Sartorius purred. "I'm simply here for a chat. You seem to have forgotten the reason you're on this island. You are supposed to be helping me in my search."_

_Aster tensed. "I haven't forgotten. But I'm done with this Key business. You're keeping secrets from me, Sartorius! I'm sad to say my trust in you is gone." Of course, he wasn't done with the Key, he had dedicated himself to helping Jaden protect it (or rather, him) but he had to make sure not to give Sartorius any clues. Sadly, the man knew him inside and out._

"_Come, Aster. You know the reason I want the Key is for you… if we drain its power and mold it correctly, we can bring your beloved father back." Aster felt a tug on his heartstrings._

"_Shut up!" He snapped. "As much as I want my father back, I would never be able to do that to an innocent-" Realizing his mistake a bit too late, Aster clapped a hand to his mouth. He prayed to every god he ever learned of that his little slip up had gone unnoticed._

_Sartorius' face broke into a large grin. Damn._

"_An innocent? That's hardly a description one would use when referring to an ancient artifact… unless of course…" His violet eyes widened in realization. "The key has been given human form…"_


	13. Chapter 12: Can't Hide it Forever

_I HAVE RETURNED!_

_I am SO sorry that took so long… I wish I had a good excuse for the ridiculous amount of time it took to finish this…. But I don't, so I hope this makes up for it!_

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*(RubikaChan)~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

**To Protect What's Precious**

_Chapter 12_

Jesse sighed as Syrus darted out of sight for the fiftieth time that week. Honestly, why was everyone treating him so differently now? The only person who still treated him the same was Atticus, whom he didn't even know all that well. Syrus had been ducking around him like he was afraid of him, Bastion had been looking at him strangely, and Jim was becoming as overbearing as Jaden lately!

And speaking of Jaden… the brunette had grown kind of distant from Jesse as of late. Even though he followed him almost everywhere, the European still felt cut off from the rest. What was going on?

Walking around to the front of the dorm, Jesse spotted Syrus and Hassleberry in deep conversation on the steps leading up to the second floor.

"I swear, its weirding me out, private!" Hassleberry whispered, Syrus looked about to respond but spotted Jesse coming closer and stopped. "What's up, solider?" The smaller Ra duelist looked behind him and spotted the problem. The two looked at Jesse and immediately fell silent. The transfer student came forward with a sunny smile on his face.

"Hey! What're you all talking about?"

"Nothing!" Syrus blurted out, a little too fast. Jesse raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?" Hassleberry, sensing suspicion, quickly answered for Syrus.

"We were just discussing out battle plan for a project."

"What kind of project? I don't remember one." Jesse tilted his head in confusion.

"Er….." The Ra student hesitated, trying to think of a believable answer.

"It's just for fun!" Syrus answered in hopes of redeeming his last blunder, "we're making… a model Dark Magician Girl!" Well… it was an answer… maybe not a believable answer, but an answer.

"Oh… well can I help?"

"Er…" The smaller Ra duelist stammered, attempting to come up with a good excuse.

"No!" Hassleberry blurted out. "You can't. It's, er, a… a group project… and we already have our group!" Well… it was an excuse… maybe not a good excuse, but an excuse.

"But… can I join the group?" Jesse asked. He was hoping to be able to join in on just about anything the group was doing… the last few days of near-ostracizing had been getting to him. His hopes sunk when Hassleberry and Syrus both shook their heads violently.

"NO!" A small look of hurt flashed across the European's face at the harsh rejection.

"Fine… it's not like I wanted to make a paper mache Dark Magician Girl anyways…" He stormed off in a huff. Once the bluenette was out of sight, the two sighed in relief.

"That was intense, solider…" Hassleberry murmured.

"It's so hard to believe he isn't real…" Syrus mumbled, looking after where Jesse had disappeared to. His taller friend nodded in agreement.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*(ToProtectWhat'sPrecious)*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jesse was still grumbling as he walked down the path towards the coast, his previous encounter still stinging slightly. He was feeling a little bad about snapping at Syrus and Hassleberry like he did, but he was still irritated. He was getting sick of conversations halting as soon as he came into view, Jaden fallowing him around everywhere he went, people finding clever ways to usher him out of the room at times, Syrus avoiding him like the plague, and Bastion looking at him like he looked at his science projects! He was beyond frustrated!

"Ugh! Why can't they just tell me what's going on?" The grumpy teen kicked at the sand in frustration.

"What's up, Jesse?" Jesse looked up to see Atticus heading in his direction, in his swimsuit and surfboard. "Why so blue, Blue?"

One of the ways Jaden and Alexis found useful in getting the transfer student out of the way was by dumping him on Atticus. And while he was happy he got to know the Obelisk student better, he was turning into one of the only people Jesse could really talk to who didn't avoid his eyes or clam up every now and then. Of course he still had his family… but they had been rather quiet as well lately… he was sure it was nothing, his family would tell him if something was wrong. In the meantime the bluenette decided to enjoy his time with Atticus… Though he wasn't overly tickled at the new nickname… he supposed it was better than "Chazzanova"…

"I'm not blue… just annoyed."

Atticus then plopped down into the sand and patted a spot next to him. "Come talk to Atty…" Jesse gave him an odd look but gave in and sat himself down next to the brunet Obelisk. "So what's eating you?"

"It's Jaden and the others." Jesse admitted, "They've been treating me weirdly ever since a few days ago…"

"Oh, since they started dumping you on me?" The bluenette next to him looked at him with a slightly hurt glare "Not that I mind, kid!" He wrapped an arm around Jesse's shoulders comfortingly. He had noticed the others had been pushing the transfer on him, but he didn't mind. It kept his mind off of Zane (insert whimper here) and Jesse wasn't bad to hang out with. He had a way of making everything fun. "So what do you think triggered this?"

Jesse sighed. "I'm so sick of it! You're the only one who really talks to me nowadays!" He paused, trying to think of what might have happened that day. "Hmm… well they were all talking about something… and nearly threw me out of the room to do so… they stopped talking once we came back in…" His initial instinct was screaming that they had been talking about him, but he didn't want to think his friends would do something like that. He dipped back into his memory, trying to remember any details that could clue him in on what was going on. He remembered how everyone clammed up, Jaden's panicked look, and Bastion's notebook he hid- wait. His green eyes widened in curiosity.

"Think of something, Jess?"

Jesse nodded. "I remember Bastion slipping a notebook or journal or something out of sight as soon as we walked in… maybe that has something."

"You want to find Bastion's journal?" Atticus raised an eyebrow. "How would you expect to get it?" He stood up and imitated asking. "Hey, Bastian! I was wondering if we could look at your super-secret journal? Why? Well we think you all are plotting something against me, and I want to look through your private things!" He shook his head, ending the "imitation". "I don't think that will work."

Jesse rolled his eyes. "He probably keeps it in his room, and I doubt he would let us look at it too… maybe we can sneak in while he's out?" Atticus raised his eyebrow even higher.

"Sneak into his room?" He clapped Jesse on the shoulder "Sounds fun, my partner-in-crime!"

Jesse rolled his eyes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*(ToProtectWhat'sPrecious)*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Master Sartorius!" Sartorius turned to see Chazz Princeton walking up to him, Alexis Rhodes matching his step. Their white uniforms almost blinding in the overhead light of the new White dorm. "We have converted every single Obelisk Blue student and nearly every qualified Ra Yellow student into the Society of Light."

"Good work, Chazz…" Sartorius purred. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at his two followers. "And the Key?"

Chazz cringed slightly at the expecting tone his master used. "I'm sorry master… but we haven't found anything out…"

"It's not much to go on, sir." Alexis added. "We don't even know what it looks like, and Jaden's keeping tight-lipped about it."

"But we think we do know who might know what it is…" Chazz's lips tightened into a smirk at Sartorius' look of immediate interest. "Aster Phoenix…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*(ToProtectWhat'sPrecious)*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I win!" Jaden tossed his hands in the air after his victory. He and Jesse had been sitting in their room dueling on the floor. Syrus and Hassleberry had been sitting beside them watching. Jesse chuckled at his friend's antics, gathering his deck and putting it into the deck holder.

"Good duel, Jay! I had fun!"

"Haha!" The brunette chuckled, reaching over and playfully messing his friend's hair. "I had fun too! And you almost beat me there!" Jesse laughed along with the Hero duelist, for the first time in a week or so, he almost forgot the earlier treatment. Almost.

"I'm glad we finally got time to hang out, Jaden! Y'all have been… busy… lately." Jesse saw a pang of guilt pass over the Slifer's face, and felt cold satisfaction settle in his stomach. At least Jaden felt guilty about ostracizing him like he did…

"I'm sorry, Jess… I'll make sure to make time to hang out more often, it's fun!" The two smiled at eachother, ready to fix the shakiness that had slipped into their friendship.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Maybe later.

The door opened and Bastion stuck his head in. "Jaden? We were going to talk about-!" He immedietly stopped in his scentence as he spotted Jesse among the other room's occupants. "Oh! Sorry to interrupt…"

Jaden looked at the three Ra students, all of whom were looking at him expectantly. With an extra pang of guilt he looked at Jesse, trying to think of an excuse to get the bluenette out of the room. "Um…"

"You know," Jesse stood up, dusting his pants off. "I just remembered I have to meet Atticus soon. I'll see you guys later."

"Oh! Ok." Jaden almost breathed a sigh of relief, he didn't have to make up an excuse this time. Though the look Jesse shot him before he left the dorm room didn't help his guilty feeling at all…

The four were silent until they were sure Jesse was out of earshot.

"Phew!"

"That was close!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*(ToProtectWhat'sPrecious)*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Aster leaned against the railing of his yacht, looking up into the stars. Looking for constellations his father had shown him when he was younger. The familiar ache of loss settled in his stomach.

"Aster…"

The silver-haired teen jumped at the painfully familiar voice and spun around to see Sartorius standing behind him.

"S-Sartorius…" Aster mentally slapped himself for stuttering like that. "What do you want?" He asked harshly.

"Don't be so hostile, Aster." Sartorius purred. "I'm simply here for a chat. You seem to have forgotten the reason you're on this island. You are supposed to be helping me in my search."

Aster tensed. "I haven't forgotten. But I'm done with this Key business. You're keeping secrets from me, Sartorius! I'm sad to say my trust in you is gone." Of course, he wasn't done with the Key, he had dedicated himself to helping Jaden protect it (or rather, him) but he had to make sure not to give Sartorius any clues. Sadly, the man knew him inside and out.

"Come, Aster. You know the reason I want the Key is for you… if we drain its power and mold it correctly, we can bring your beloved father back." Aster felt a tug on his heartstrings.

"Shut up!" He snapped. "As much as I want my father back, I would never be able to do that to an innocent-" Realizing his mistake a bit too late, Aster clapped a hand to his mouth. He prayed to every god he ever learned of that his little slip up had gone unnoticed.

Sartorius' face broke into a large grin. Damn.

"An innocent? That's hardly a description one would use when referring to an ancient artifact… unless of course…" His violet eyes widened in realization. "The key has been given human form…"

Aster's heart sank. 'Damn! I'm such an idiot…' But before he could further yell at himself for his slip-up he felt a long-nailed hand clasp his shoulder in a vice-like grip. He looked up into hypnotizing purple eyes.

"Why don't you tell me what else you know…."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*(ToProtectWhat'sPrecious)*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Ra Yellow dorm was silent, all the Yellow students had been converted into the Society of Light, save for Bastion who was currently at the Red Dorm. The time was ripe.

_Clunk_

"Ouch!"

"Shh!"

Well, maybe not so silent… but no one was around to hear them, so maybe it counts.

"Ow, my foot!" Atticus whined, having stubbed his toe on a nearby coffee table. His current companion shushed him. The brunet pouted. "But it hurt, Jess! Why are we here when it's dark anyways?"

"Because all the others are having their little… meetings." Jesse replied, moving the flashlight from the Obelisk jumping on one foot and back to the nameplates on the doors. "Bastion leaves all his notebooks in his dorm, I heard, so that notepad he was hiding should be in here… Ah hah!" He shined the flashlight over the nameplate Misawa triumphantly. He opened the door to the meticulously neat room. Though with the organization of everything else in the room, the equations written all over the walls made Jesse giggle a little.

"Why can't you just ask Bastion what was in it? And why'd I agree to come along with you again?"

"Because" Jesse said as he poked into several drawers, "if I do ask him, I'll probably get snubbed off like I have been whenever I see any of the others. Also, if you come with me, I won't take all the blame if we're caught." Atticus shook his head with an amused look on his face.

"Whatever you say, Blue…" Atticus looked under Bastion's bed. "Man, the Ra dorms sure are small compared to the Blue Dorms… wish those white-washed loonies hadn't chased me out."

Jesse rolled his eyes again.

"Hey! I think I found it!" Atticus exclaimed, pulling the small black notepad from a drawer next to Bastion's computer. "Man, this guy needs to think of better hiding places… why couldn't he have hidden it in his underwear drawer like a normal person?"

The European raised an eyebrow. "You just want to dig through his underwear." He snatched the notebook.

"Guilty as charged!" Atticus grinned. He plopped down on the unused bed and patted the empty spot next to him. "Sit."

"Ok… let's see what all the fuss is about…" Jesse plopped next to Atticus and flipped open the notebook and reading through the neat handwriting with his flashlight. He flipped through several pages of notes and math theories (not like he could make heads or tails of it if he tried anyways) and came across a few sections about a "Key". "I think this is what they were talking about…" He began to read.

"_The Society of Light has been raving on and on about something they call "the Key"… I don't know what it is, but it doesn't sound like they have very benevolent intentions for it. Me and the rest of my friends suspect Jaden might know. Time to confront him about this_."

He flipped to the next page.

"_Jaden's revealed to us the secrets behind this "Key"… and I for one am shocked. Apparently, it is a large mass of pure energy that exists in our world. Its origins and purpose are unknown, but we do know this. Whomever, or whatever, was previously guarding the Key have decided it was no longer safe there. So they disguised it, sending it here, to Duel Academy, in the form…"_ Jesse trailed off, his eyes growing wide. Atticus grew curious and took the pad from the silent Crystal Beast duelist and began to continue reading;

"…_In the form of a young boy, from a distant, European country. It was sent here in the form of a friend, of a student, for Jaden Yuki to protect… In the form of Jesse Andersen…"_

Atticus slowly closed the book, eyes wide in surprise. "Huh…" He looked over at Jesse, who had yet to move, but grew a few shades paler as Atticus was reading the last sentence. "Guess that's you, kid…"

Jesse's flashlight fell from limp fingers, clanging to the ground as footsteps tore out the front door.

"Jesse, wait!"

The door slammed shut…

_**To Be Continued…**_

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*(RubikaChan)~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

Dun Dun DUUUUNNNNNN! Ah, it's good to be back from the land of writer's block… the next chapter will NOT take that long, I can promise you (and I mean it this time!)… so until then I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Let me know what you think?

Until next time!

_**(Next Chapter…)**_

_*CRASH!*_

_Jaden's head jerked up as he heard the loud shatter coming from the hallway to Chazz's spiffed up room they were using as a base._

"_What the…" He, Jim, Syrus, and Hassleberry jumped up and rushed to the door in unison. There, standing in the doorway, was Jesse with his fist in the small mirror by the front entrance and shards of glass at his feet. His face was hidden by his hair._

"_Jesse! What the hell, man! You're bleeding!" Jaden shouted in alarm, watching as the red liquid oozed from the gashes in Jesse's hand. He ran up to his friend but was stopped by the cold voice issuing from the one in front of him._

"_Why didn't you tell me…?"_

"_What?" Jaden looked confused. "Jesse, let's just clean-…" He was cut off when Jesse glared at him, bright, tear-filled eyes freezing him where he stood._

"_WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?"_


	14. Chapter 13: The Truth is Out!

_**AN:**__ I'M ALIVE! Though it was a close call, to be honest..._

_I can't beleive it's been two freaking years since I updated... oh my god... although, I actually got a good excuse this time!_

_Well, for anyone who hasn't seen my updates in other stories, Not only did my computer suffer TWO crashes (making be have to rewrite this chapter three times), and being busy with school, work, and emotional turmoil, But I was also in a bad car crash several months ago. Snapped my arm into three seperate pieces, broke two other bones in my hand, burned a good amount of skin off of my face... It was a blast. Though, accoording to the paramedics, I am very lucky, because if I had been going any faster, the crash would have killed me. AND THIS STORY WOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN UPDATED! D: teh horror!_

_Lol! But in all seriousness, I wasn't able to do anything for a while, and then I had to catch up on missing a month of school... it's been a mess. BUT! that's all in the past now, I'm in one piece (with some new hardware installed in my arm) and back to typing!_

_SO LET THE CHAPTER COMMENCE! (it's a long one, to apologize for the wait)_

_**Disclaimer:**__ No owno here-o!_

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~(RubikaChan)~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

**To Protect What's Precious**

_Chapter 13_

*CRASH!*

Jaden's head jerked up as he heard the loud shatter coming from the hallway to Chazz's spiffed up room they were using as a base.

"What the…" He, Jim, Syrus, and Hassleberry jumped up and rushed to the door in unison. There, standing in the doorway, was Jesse with his fist in the small mirror by the front entrance and shards of glass at his feet. His face was hidden by his hair.

"Jesse! What the hell, man! You're bleeding!" Jaden shouted in alarm, watching as the red liquid oozed from the gashes in Jesse's hand. He ran up to his friend but was stopped by the cold voice issuing from the one in front of him.

"Why didn't you tell me…?"

"What?" Jaden looked confused. "Jesse, let's just clean-…" He was cut off when Jesse glared at him, bright, tear-filled eyes freezing him where he stood.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?"

Jaden took a step back. "J-Jesse..." He felt a sick sensation in the pit of his gut. Had he somehow found out? But how? He wasn't around when they had discussed it, he had been with Atticus! "What are you talking about?"

"This!" Jesse snarled as he thrust his bleeding hand at Jaden, green eyes flashing in rage. "This! It's real! This blood is real! And it's mine! I'm real!"

Jaden felt the ground drop from beneth him. "Of... of course you're real!" He glanced back at the others. They had all gone pale from the scene, and he was sure his face looked the same.

"Then what's this?!" Jesse flung something to the ground at Jaden's feet. Bastion's journal. "Is this some sick joke?!"

What? Jaden looked over to the Ra student, whom had adopted a perfect imitation of a deer caught in the headlights. The brunet reached down and flipped through the book. '_This... this is...' _He snapped the book shut and glared at Bastion. "Bastiooooon!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Bastion raised his hand in defence. "I didn't think he'd find it! It was just so facinating, I-"

"Facinating?!" Jesse saw red, he was sure of it. "You think this is a _science experiment_?!" His hands were shaking, his heart in his throat. This couldn't be happening. It just couldn't. This had to be some kind of joke! "You think I'm some freaking science experiment?!"

"Jesse, that's not what I meant!"

"SHUT UP!" Jesse's throat ached from yelling, but he paid it no mind. Tears stung his eyes and he wiped them away furiously. "This isn't funny... I thought you were my friends!"

"Jess, we are your friends!"

"No! Just!" The tears were falling faster now. "Just leave me alone!" And with that, the distrought teen fled, slamming the door behind him.

"Jesse!" Why had Jesse been able to read that journal? To find out like that? Hadn't Atticus been watching him?! "I'm gonna find Atticus..."

"No need." The brunet Obelisk student peeked in from the doorway. "Jesse's a fast little bugger, isn't he?" He barely got a chance to finish before an infuriated Slifer student shoved him back. "Woah, Jaden, easy!"

"You were supposed to watch him!" Jaden's eyes blazed in fury. "How could you let him find out like that?! How cruel can you be?!"

Atticus stumbled, but glared right back at Jaden. "Hey! I didn't even know myself! Nobody bothers keeping me in the loop, do they?" He jabbed a finger at Jaden. "He was going to find out eventually, something like that, and you keeping him in the dark wasn't helping!"

"It was to keep him safe!"

"He's not some fragile piece of glass, Jaden!" Atticus ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "He may not have started out this way, but he's a human being. A duelist. And a darn good one too. The kid can take care of himself, but how is he supposed to protect himself if he doesn't even know who to protect himself from?!" And with that, Atticus turned on his heel and walked off. He needed to cool off at the lighthouse.

"Dangit..." Jaden scrubbed his hand over his eyes in frustration. Wrong. This was all going horribly wrong. He had to calm down. And find Jesse. Jaden moved forward, but Jim's hand latched onto his shoulder. The Aussie shook his head.

"Give him time to cool down."

"But Sartorius-"

"Doesn't know what to look for yet. Jesse will be safe, mate, just give him some space for now." Jim had better be right...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~(ToProtectWhatsPrecious)~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sartorius stood before his army proudly.

"My deciples." They remained at attention. "I know you have all been working hard for the society. Searching for the "key" to our sucess. And I am grateful." His grin widened. "However, I am afraid we have been searching in the wrong place... a dear friend of mine has provided me with some valuable information. The Key is no object to be found."

Several members made sounds of confusion.

"The Key has been bound to a human form... find it."

The society had been debriefed. His army sent out to search. The key would soon be his. Sartorius felt his face would break he was grinning so hard. He made his way back to his quarters, time to check on his "guest"...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~(ToProtectWhatsPrecious)~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The view from the roof was magnificent. It was something that usually cheered Jesse up, but it was doing nothing for him now. Well nothing but causing more hurt to well up in his chest. He would sit up here with Jaden for hours, just looking at the view and chatting, dueling on occasion.

"Jaden..." Jesse sniffled and wiped at his eyes for the hundredth time. How could Jaden do this to him? It couldn't be true, it just couldn't! He was real, a real human being! He could remember his first year at North Academy, and receiving the Crystal Beasts from Maximillion Pegasus! Those memories were real, weren't they?

"Rubi?" As if summoned by his thoughts, Ruby Carbunncle appeared on his shoulder.

"Hey, girl..." His family was here for him, and the thought brightened his spirits. His family was real. His memories were real. He was surely real. It was just some sick joke.

"Jesse..." The rest of his family joined them, crowding around Jesse in comfort. Amethyst Cat spoke again. "Are... are you alright?"

"I... not really." Jesse fought tears once more. "Jaden and the others, they're saying something. Something rediculous. They're saying that I'm not..." He shook his head. It was rediculous.

His family was oddly silent. Jesse looked up to see anxious looks on their faces.

"Guys... it isn't true, is it?" Their silence only strengthened the dread in Jesse's stomach. "It can't be true, it's just rediculous!" A note of desperation entered his voice. His family wouldn't lie to him! "I'm not... I'm real, aren't I?"

"Of course you are, Jesse." Sapphirre Pegasus spoke gently, giving the boy a sense of comfort. "You are as real as anybody on this island."

"But... I'm not some... Key, right?" Jesse looked at the spirits of the Crystal Beasts pleadingly, silently begging for this to all be some kind of joke. Or a dream.

"I'm sorry, Jesse..." Sapphirre Pegasus hung his head sadly.

The boy felt his heart break. "No." It was true? The Crystal Beasts, his family, had been lying to him all along? "But... But I remember! I remember things further back than this year! I remember growing up! I remember helping that little boy who lost his spirit! I remember meeting all of you!" Please... "They're real! They have to be real! I have to be real!" His view of the downtrodden looks on the spirits' faces was blurred by tears. "I can't be a key..."

"Jesse." Emerald Turtle stepped forward. "It's time you learned the truth."

"No..."

"We were created to protect the Key, to protect you."

"But-" Jesse's voice caught in his throat. "I thought you guys chose me to be part of the family. Aren't we a family?"

"Of course we are, Jesse." Topaz Tiger spoke carefully. "We will continue to protect you as best we can."

"Because I'm the Key..." Jesse whimpered, curling in on himself even tighter. _'They lied to me... they're only here to do their job, that's all_.' It hurt. Jesse felt like his heart was going to rip into peices; he felt dizzy, confused, and just overwealmed. His whole life, everything, was a lie? He couldn't take it anymore. Ignoring his cards' concerned looks, Jesse buried his face in his hands and cried.

It wasn't long before Jaden found him there, still on the roof. The transfer student was curled up, facing the sunset. The remains of his tears were still visible.

"Hey, Jess..." Jaden's concern grew when Jesse didn't answer him. "Jesse, I'm sorry, I should have told you."

"..."

"Jesse?"

"What does it matter?" Jesse's voice was muffled by his knees. "It's not like it changes anything... I'd still be a..." he sniffled, "a thing... not real."

Jaden sat down next to him, feeling a sense of deja vu, only the last time they had been up here they were both smiling and laughing. He wished it was still like that, when neither of them knew this horrible secret. "You're real, Jess." He put a hand on the European's shoulder. "See? I can touch you."

"You can touch a rock too, don't mean it's alive." He shook Jaden's hand from his shoulder. "Leave me alone, Jaden. Just... just do your damn job. That's the only reason you're up here."

"My job?" Jaden blinked owlishly.

"Protect the 'key', isn't it?" Jesse glared at him. "So what now? Now that I know? Gonna lock me away or something?!"

"Wha-" Jaden's mouth fell open. "Of course not! Don't be an idiot!" He gave his companion a small push. "Yeah, I'm gonna keep Sartorius away from you, but it's not because it's my 'job' or anything. I'm doing it because I" he fought the warmth seeping into his cheeks, "because I don't want my best friend to get hurt. Or leave." Jaden smiled. "Besides, who would I have to duel with if you got taken away? Who would have eating contests with me? Or play with the spirits? Or let me sleep on them in class?"

"You mean drool on you in class." The corner of Jesse's mouth twitched upwards.

Jaden looked scandalized. "I do not drool!"

"You do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

After a moment of silence, the two duelists just looked at each other and laughed. Jesse felt like he hadn't laughed in ages (despite it not being that long at all). His laughing soon became hitched, however, as the day's events finally took their toll. He had thought he'd cried all his tears, but it wasn't long before Jaden's arms were holding him close as he sobbed into his shirt.

"Jess..."

"W-w-what am I s-supposed to d-do, Jay?" Jesse managed through his tears. "E-everyth-thing I thought was r-real... it isn't. My m-memories aren't even r-r-real, Jay!"

Jaden felt a lump in his throat and held his friend tighter. "Some of them are. This year has been real, Jess!" He smiled a little as Jesse's shoulders shook less. "All the fun we've had, all the great duels, they were all real." Jesse moved back to wipe his face and Jaden looked him in the eyes. "And you're real too. You may not have started out this way," he remembered Atticus' words, "but you're human just like the rest of us, and we care about you.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Jaden continued in earnest, "I thought it would be easier on you if I didn't." He smiled sheepishly. "Guess I was wrong."

"A bit." Jesse returned the sheepish grin.

"And you know." Jaden looked around as the Crystal Beasts materialized around them, each one filled with concern over their charge. "Your family's still your family, aren't they?"

"..." Jesse glanced at the spirits. He felt a longing in his heart for them, but their betrayal still stung. What if they were just here because they had to be? "Are..." He swallowed. "Are we a family?"

"Of course we are!" Topaz Tiger growled softly. "It's our duty to protect you!"

Jesse's face fell.

"Idiot." Amber Mammoth gave Topaz a swat with his trunk.

"What he means is," Amethyst cat stepped forward. "We will protect you because you're a part of our family. Not because of what you are." She nuzzled the boy's face, and wished (not for the first time) that she were solid enough to dry his tears herself. "We love you, Jesse. It may have only been a few months, but we have all the memories of dueling together that you do. They're real to us."

At long last, Jesse's face broke into his full-fledged smile. "You mean it?"

"Bii!" Ruby jumped onto his shoulder and playfully butted his chin with her head. Jesse giggled. He finally felt like he belonged again.

"Come on." Jaden stood up and extended his hand. "Let's go back, ok? The others are worried." He sweatdropped a bit. "Jim's probably gonna want my hide after all this, so I need someone to hide behind."

"Hide? I'll be watching!" Jesse chuckled and took the extended hand. Everything would work out, right?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~(ToProtectWhatsPrecious)~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Sartorius you creep! Let me out of here!"

The psychic chuckled, listening to the silver-haired teen kick at the door in fury. "It's for your own good, Aster." He could imagine the glare he was receiving right at this moment. "We can't have you running about now, can we?" Sartorius slipped the door key into his pocket. "I'll be back soon, dear boy."

"Sartorius! Stop! You can't do this!" Aster pounded on the door furiously, listening to the clip-clopping of Sartorius' shoes as the man walked away. "Damnit, Sartorius! Get back here and unlock this door!" The sound faded away. "SARTORIUS!" Silence. "No!" With a growl, Aster slumped against the door. He was worn out from his attempts at freeing himself and he had gotten nowhere. And now Sartorius was merely steps away from aquiring the Key... no, from capturing Jesse. He had to get out of here, and warn Jaden that Sartorius knew the Key was human. But how?

Aster looked around his room -his prison- with a critical eye. He had to escape.

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~(ToBeContinued)~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

_**AN:**__ Phew! Long chapter, but I think you guys deserve it for waiting so long. Once more: I'M SORRY FOR TAKING TWO FREAKING YEARS TO UPDATE!_

_Yeah, this chapter was kind of sappy... but it had to be done. Also, Jesse may seem a little OOC, but he just had a bombshell dropped on his head... sooo odds are he'll be a bit upset. But now he knows! And Sartorius knows what to look for! And Aster's locked up! AND Now I can get on to the good stuff! (OMG This chapter was a PAIN to rewrite THREE TIMES...)_

_Ok, won't make any promises, as life likes to make a liar out of me, but barring anymore hospital visits, the next chapter shall be made!_

_Also, a BIG thanks to anyone who's waited all this time!_

_Please review and let me know how this chapter held up! (Also feel free to rage at me taking so long... *takes cover*)_


End file.
